Teach Me
by ghostystarr59
Summary: Mr. Walker is the new, strict, but kind temporary teacher. Lavi Bookman is the lazy, unmotivated student that may or may not be the reason why the previous teacher quit. The two instantly get off on the wrong foot, but Mr. Walker is determined to make Lavi pass his senior year. AU Laven. M for later chaps
1. Chapter 1

"Damn it!" A man with neat white hair and formal attire was running through a well-lit hallway as he checked his watch with wide eyes. "My first day and I'm already late!"

Allen Walker ran like his life depended on it. He skidded to a halt in front of a door and could hear instantly hear the muffled and excited shouts caused by the students inside. "All right!" Allen shouted authoritatively as he grabbed the doorknob and ripped the door open. "Playtime is over—EH?"

He blinked furiously at the sight unfolding in front of his eyes.

A young man about seventeen years old was blinking back at him with a startling green eye—one of them was covered with an eye-patch. He had terribly messy red hair; as if he ran his hands through it several times to purposefully make it look like that. He wore a senior uniform, but his jacket was unbuttoned and his tie hung loosely around his neck. He should have just written "SLACKER" right on his forehead.

But what brought Allen's attention to this young lad was what he was _doing_, specifically to another, rather weepy, student. A smaller boy with glasses was nearing tears as the green-eyed child was holding his head down to one of the desks and forcing the smaller boy to eat what looked like rubber cement. The rest of the class was circled around them, frozen in mid-chant, gaping at Allen like deer caught in headlights.

For a moment, Allen could do nothing but stare. A scowl appeared on his face. "Just what do you think you're doing?" he shouted angrily. "Release him right now!"

The older boy huffed and stuck his nose in the air with a lofty laugh. "Sorry. But who are you?"

Allen gritted his teeth. "I AM YOUR NEW TEACHER!" he hissed. "Now…DROP THE BOY!"

The older boy frowned, as if suddenly bored, and casually opened his hand. The smaller boy's head crashed into the desk, accidentally eating some of the rubber cement. The class erupted into laughter and cheers. The older boy cracked a vicious grin and winked at Allen. "Thanks for the advice, Teach!"

Allen ran to the aid of the choking boy. Luckily, he had a lot of medical training. "You're fine," he sighed, patting the boy's head. "You'll be fine." He turned his attention to the rest of the class—and seemingly its ringleader—with a dark glower. "The rest of you should be ashamed! I'm appalled at what I've just witnessed! Everyone—TO YOUR SEATS!"

Green Eyes snorted. "Oh, I think this will be a fun year," he whispered before meandering over to his seat in the back. The rest of the class watched the floor shamefully. No one spoke. Green Eyes reclined back in his chair with a yawn while Glasses Kid sobbed quietly into the jar of glue.

Allen's right eye twitched. When he had taken this teaching job, he had had no idea what he was thinking. He was going to be a doctor, after all, not a teacher! _It's only temporary…_he reminded himself. _Just until they find a new teacher._

He supposed he knew why the previous teacher had suddenly quit her job part way through the school year. One look at the class and Allen already felt himself getting ready to walk out the door.

He cleared his throat and moved to the head of the class. "All right then. My name is Mr. Walker. I'll be your substitute teacher until there's a proper replacement found. Let me take attendance. Lenalee Lee."

A girl in the front raised her hand. "Here," she said sweetly.

"Arystar Krory III."

A sleepy-looking boy covered his mouth as he lazily raised his hand and yawned out, "'M here…"

"Yu Kanda."

An angry-looking boy with long hair slammed his hands on the desk. "_Just_ Kanda!" he hissed.

Allen grinned nervously. "Okay then…"

Then he saw a familiar name. "Bak Chan!"

Bak Chan, who happened to be Allen's neighbor, smiled sheepishly and waved. "H-hey, Allen."

"You didn't tell me I was going to teach your class!" Allen smiled politely.

Bak fidgeted uncomfortably. "I was sort of hoping you _wouldn't _be teaching my class."

Allen's smile disappeared, replaced with a flat-sounding voice. "Tyki Mikk."

The sobbing boy with glue all over his face raised a trembling hand. His glasses slid off of his nose. "H-h-h-here!" In the back, Green Eyes let out a chuckle and shook his head slowly.

"Lavi Bookman."

Green Eyes saluted him. "Wassup, _Allen_?"

Allen glared. "You can call me Mr. Walker."

"But Bak got to call you Allen!"

"That's different. But even during class he'll still refer to me as Mr. Walker."

"Whatever."

Allen sighed. Lavi Bookman, huh? First day and he was already having problems with this…delinquent! The carefree, cocky way this Bookman kid held himself made Allen furious. He wouldn't allow it in his classroom.

...

Lavi Bookman watched his new teacher curiously, like when a hunter observes its prey. Lavi prided himself in making his teacher's life a living hell. He'd made three teachers quit in his academic career—which was thankfully almost over. This one, however, already seemed to be a challenge.

Mr. Walker didn't look much older than they were. In fact, he looked like he was only nineteen or maybe even just eighteen. His wide grey eyes were experienced, however, so maybe he was older. He had neat white hair that looked picture perfect. There was a jagged scar that ran down his cheek, marring his handsome face. Still, everything about him—even his teeth—managed to look like it came from a magazine. He had the air of being one of those annoying, goody-goodies that Lavi loved to torment. But…he was so young. If he hadn't known better, he would say that Allen Walker was just another one of them.

"All right then!" Mr. Walker huffed, looking super uptight. "Now that I know everyone's names, let's start with class. I understand you've been all reading _To Kill a Mocking Bird_."

A few of the kinder students nodded up at him.

"Great! Let's pick up where you left off."

"Lovely," Lavi whispered so quietly that no one else could hear him. He loved English class—because it was so easy to fall asleep while the other kids read. He lounged back in his chair, folded his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes.

He had just fallen asleep when suddenly a loud bang startled him awake. With a slight shout, he regained his balance on his tilting chair and was met with a pair of angry grey eyes. Mr. Walker was standing in front of him, a hand on his desk, and a murderous expression on his face. "Wh-what the hell?" Lavi blinked defiantly.

"There is absolutely _no_ sleeping during class!" Mr. Walker shouted.

Without another word, Mr. Walker removed Lavi's feet from the desk, straightened his chair, and flicked him on the back of the head roughly. "Ow!" he growled, rubbing his neck and hating the way his classmates laughed at him.

"Why don't you start reading where Lenalee was rudely interrupted by your incorrigible snoring?"

Lavi didn't even know what "incorrigible" meant.

Nevertheless, he opened his dusty copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ to a random page and began to read in a lofty voice that mimicked Mr. Walker's. The students sniggered under their breaths, looking excitedly from Lavi to Mr. Walker like it was a game of tennis.

Some of them were surprised to practically see sparks being exchanged between the two's eyes. Lavi felt a rush of hatred for the teacher standing sternly in front of him. He never had a teacher so persistent on making him learn. Usually they just gave up, passed him anyways, and let him be. But not Mr. Walker. He didn't seem intimidated or put off by Lavi's actions. Instead, he seemed even more determined than before.

Breaking him would be harder than he thought.

But he knew one thing for certain.

He was going to make Mr. Walker quit.

* * *

**Hey all! Soo usually I don't really write AU stuff but I got the idea and decided-ehhh-what the hell! I'm going with it! So, leave a comment and tell me what you think or if you have any ideas! On to the next! -N**


	2. Chapter 2

For the next week, the animosity built up between Lavi and Mr. Walker. Lavi pulled countless tricks and pranks on Mr. Walker. First he did the normal things: putting tacks on his seat, super gluing the chalk to his hands, doing other activities in class (like dribbling a basketball during math class), egging his car, and filling up his briefcase with Jell-O. Anything that would just piss him off. But what put Lavi off was that each time Mr. Walker would fall for his traps and each time he would just smile calmly and continue teaching. He never told Lavi off.

In retaliation, Mr. Walker called on Lavi often, especially when he knew Lavi wouldn't know the answer, and made him look like an idiot.

It made Lavi so furious.

Mr. Walker was the one that was supposed to be so angry, not him!

During lunch, Lavi was expressing his ill-feelings towards the dumb teacher. "I mean, he's not even a real teacher! Why did the school pick him to teach? He's so annoying!"

"Sounds to me like you have a crush, Lavi!" his friend Krory grinned into his lunch.

"Oh, ha-ha, Krory!" Lavi rolled his eyes, much to the amusement of his friend. Lavi had gotten a lot of jokes and jeers for his sexuality, but his four closest friends—Lenalee, Krory, Kanda, and Miranda Lotto—never judged him for it, just teased. It wasn't like Lavi advertised that he was gay, either. No one could ever tell that he was unless he told them so.

"I think Mr. Walker is dreamy!" Lenalee swooned. Beside her, Miranda giggled in agreement. A red blush colored both of their cheeks. Lavi could almost see stars in their eyes. "He's _so_ cute! I mean, like, wow!"

"The way his eyes light up whenever he reads!" Miranda sighed.

"The way his smile seems to warm up the entire room!" Lenalee mused.

"I think you two just gave me cancer," Lavi muttered in annoyance.

Krory and Kanda burst into laughter while the girls glared at them.

...

Lavi kicked open his front door roughly two weeks later. It was late; much later than the usual time he made it home. He had gone out with his friends to see a movie, despite the load of homework their new English teacher had thrown on them. Lavi's face twisted into a scowl as he thought about the white-haired nuisance.

He peered over the wall, glancing worriedly into his grandfather's office. His grandfather had taken Lavi in when he was young, after his parents died. He worked as a curator for the local museum and was constantly writing papers and articles on various topics. He spotted his grandfather working determinedly, sifting through a tower of leaning books. Lavi sighed in relief: sometimes his grandpa became so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice if Lavi wasn't around.

He walked into the kitchen, made himself some soup, and plopped down on the couch. He watched a random crime show for a bit before deciding to play some video games instead. His backpack lay forgotten by the door.

It wasn't until his grandfather came out and yelled for him to go to bed that Lavi tripped over his bag and the contents spilled out. Lavi glared at it and began to throw the assortment of notebooks and folders back into it whenever he lifted up his tattered copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_. A feeling of dread filled Lavi. "Shit," he cursed.

"_Your previous teacher has kindly reminded me that your essay regarding the theme of this novel is due tomorrow! No less than three full pages."_

Lavi groaned and went to his room with trudging feet. He collapsed into his desk chair and stared at the ceiling for a bit. Then, pulling out a wrinkled piece of loose paper, he began to write whatever came to his mind. He had never even started to read the book and therefore had naturally no idea what it was about. He simply wrote about nothing in particular, making things up as he went.

It was about one in the morning when he finally wrote three full pages worth. He fell onto his bed and yawned into his pillow. He fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming that he had successfully forced Mr. Walker out of the school.

The next morning, Lavi hurriedly downed a bowl of cereal. His grandfather emerged, looking tired. "Oh, Lavi. Good, you're awake."

"Morning, Old Panda," Lavi greeted affectionately. His grandfather glared at him, but the dark shadows under his eyes couldn't hide the resemblance. As he walked past, he gave Lavi a good whap on the back of the head. "Ow!" Lavi cried out indignantly. "Watch it!"

"Shouldn't you be in school?" his grandpa sighed. "I swear if I get one more call about your behavior—"

"Blah, blah, blah! Look, gramps, I'd love to stay and chat but I'm running kinda late so…see ya!" Lavi bolted for the door, straightening his uniform jacket and jumping into his shoes. He ran out the door in record speed—just as long as he wouldn't have to hear one of his grandfather's famous long lectures again.

Lavi reached the school just as the first bell was ringing. He wandered to his seat in the back of the English classroom with a yawn. He had just sat down whenever Mr. Walker walked in, looking hassled. "Ah, I made it!" he sighed, relieved. "Right, then. Good morning, everyone!"

He received a few jumbled good mornings back from some of the more over-achieving students and the group of gushing girls blushing furiously at him. Lavi scoffed at their hapless expressions. Why did they like Mr. Walker so much? Sure, he wasn't bad to look at but…

_Why did I just think THAT?_ Lavi blinked several times. He shook his head. _Man, I didn't get enough sleep. It's all that damn Walker's fault anyways._

"Pass up your essays, please! I'll have them graded and back to you by the end of the week!"

Lavi rolled his eyes and handed his guaranteed-to-fail paper to the kid in front of him. Lavi had sit behind him the entire year and still didn't know his name. He never bothered to find out, either.

Mr. Walker collected the papers, placed them on his desk, and said, "Good. Now, let's get started on the next lesson. Everyone, open your books to page three-hundred and ninety-four…"

Lavi allowed his mind to wander. He didn't even bother to open his book. Thankfully, Mr. Walker didn't even glance in his direction. Lavi took advantage of his negligence and plopped his head against the desk.

He was awoken by the sound of the bell forty minutes later. He jumped awake to see his classmates rising to their feet. He copied them, gathering his things before heading for the door. As he passed Mr. Walker's desk, he let out a loud, obvious yawn. "Thanks for the nap, Teach!" he taunted, enjoying the way Mr. Walker's face seemed to flush with anger before Lavi closed the door firmly.

He caught up to Kanda and Krory and the three headed for the gym.

Gym class went horribly.

He had gotten into a mix-up during the game of dodge ball. Tyki Mikk had thrown a ball sailing straight into the face of a frightened, freshman girl. He laughed cruelly at her embarrassed face, copying the way she had flinched. His friends had laughed, egging Tyki on to start calling the girl names.

Lavi gritted his teeth. Tyki Mikk had established himself as the school bully. He constantly picked on the underclassman and terrorized them. Lavi himself had been on the receiving end of the bully's aggression before. The two hated one another.

Tyki had tried to dump a bottle of rubber cement into Lenalee's hair. Lavi had intervened. He caught Tyki by surprise and held him down against the desk. Lavi grinned and proceeded to try to make Tyki eat the glue. The rest of the class cheered Lavi on. No one other than Lavi ever stood up against Tyki.

But that was when Mr. Walker walked in. Lavi knew how it looked, but—hell—he didn't care. He had stopped Tyki from hurting Lenalee and that was all he cared about. Tyki had instantly taken advantage of the situation and turned on the waterworks, pretending to have been the hurt victim. It was the card Tyki always played and it worked each time. Mr. Walker had fallen for it instantly.

Watching the teary-eyed freshman girl tremble across the court made Lavi's hands shake with anger. He set his teeth in a firm line and grabbed a heavy, rubber ball from the ground. He marched right up behind Tyki, who was still making fun of her, and tapped him on the shoulder. Tyki turned around and Lavi smashed the ball into Tyki's face harshly, despite being on the same team as him.

Tyki fell back. The rest of the gym fell silent. Coach Socalo blew his whistle. "BOOKMAN!" he shouted. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! DETENTION!"

Lavi crossed his arms in defiance. He glanced down at Tyki, who looked pretty smug for having had his face smashed in. "You have a mark on your face," Lavi said coldly to him. Tyki's smile turned into a scowl. As Lavi walked away, he glanced up at the freshman girl. She smiled gratefully at him. Her face was red. But either from a blush or getting a dodge ball to the face, he wasn't entirely sure.

...

"Ah, Mr. Bookman, there you are!" Allen Walker looked up from his desk at the frowning student standing in front of him. "Let's start on your detention, yes?"

Lavi gritted his teeth and groaned. "I got my detention in gym class. I thought I'd be having it with Coach Socalo! Not _you_!"

Allen grinned. "I spoke with Mr. Socalo to transfer your detention to me. You're lucky I did, too! He was going to make you clean the trophy room with a toothbrush."

Lavi just glared.

Allen smiled kindly. "Why don't you have a seat? We have two hours."

"Two HOURS?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to make you write lines or something. Just sit and reflect."

"Reflect on what?"

"You know what." Allen returned his attention to the stack of papers he had to grade. As he graded the eternally scowling student's paper he frowned. The paper they were supposed to write on _To Kill a Mockingbird_ had been due today. Lavi Bookman's paper was the last of the bunch, but—amazingly—it was good. It was _really_ good, actually! However, most of it had next to nothing to do with the book that Allen was sure Lavi had never finished reading. He had probably never started, either.

"You know if you put as much effort into your essays as you did into your pranks designed for me to quit, you'd be the top of the class."

Lavi blinked up at him. "What are you blabbering about?"

"Your paper!" Allen held it up. "It's really…quite good, actually! Completely off-topic, but still good. In fact, I don't think you mention the book once. It's like you just wrote whatever came to mind. Still, I have to admit…it's intriguing."

Lavi Bookman gave him a puzzled look. Then he put on his normal glare and rested his head back on the desk. "Will you just shut up? I'm trying to take a nap."

Allen couldn't keep the smile off of his face. Somewhere along the line of resenting the green-eyed delinquent in his class, he'd grown rather fond of him. He saw so much potential in Lavi Bookman. But he knew that Lavi didn't even see it in himself.

As a light snore emanated from the sleeping kid, Allen began to construct a plan.

* * *

**Hooray for fast updates! I'm going to be pretty busy for the rest of the week so I decided to just play it safe and post this now or else it wouldn't be updated until the weekend. And sooner is better, am I right? Thanks so much to all who followed/ favorited! Review if you have time and the next chapter will probably be up this weekend!**

**To the next one!**

**-N**


	3. Chapter 3

When Allen Walker opened the classroom door on Monday he was met with a familiar sight.

Lavi was standing in front of Tyki Mikk's desk with a stapler in hand. Tyki's tie was stapled to his desk with tears in his eyes. The rest of the class was standing in a circle around them while shouting, "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!"

Allen groaned and rubbed his forehead. "Everyone, SIT DOWN! Bookman, that's another detention for you!"

Lavi gaped at him. Suddenly, anger flared up on his face. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"Enough assaulting classmates, Bookman! I've had it up to here with your bullying antics!"

"M-my bullying antics!?" Lavi looked outraged. "Bullsh-!"

"That's _another_ detention, Bookman! Just look at Tyki's state!"

Lavi gaped down at the weeping child. "You mean you actually buy this crap?!" He gestured to Tyki. "Are you _serious?_"

"Let's make it _three_ detentions!" Allen gritted his teeth. He had never felt so angry in his life! He couldn't believe that Lavi Bookman would take advantage of his weaker, more sensitive students! Allen had had more respect for him than that, but apparently, he had been wrong!

The rest of the class fell silent, looking at one another in fear. Tyki continued to cry. "Now sit down!" Allen shouted harshly.

Lavi gaped at him, a visible plea on his face that Allen felt furious seeing. Lavi's almost hurt look melted into an irate scowl. "I don't believe this!" he shouted before marching to his chair and sitting down loudly.

...

After class, Lavi was ranting furiously to his friends. "I hate him!" he chanted. "I hate him so much! I can't fucking believe this!"

"Well, from his end it looks pretty bad," Krory said. "Can you blame him?"

"YES! I can and I do! It's all his fault! Bak, why is your neighbor such a douche?!"

"Hey, he isn't that bad!" Bak defended. "Just explain to him what really happened!"

"Like he would even listen! No, I just got three detentions with him! I don't think I can last being in the same room with him for two hours for three days in a row! I'll going to snap!"

"No! Stay on your best behavior or you'll just make it look worse for yourself!"

The bell rang. It was time for Lavi's detention. "Dammit!"

"Good luck," Krory and Bak said together before they left the classroom. Lavi remained in his seat, waiting for the person he hated more than anything to arrive.

Sure enough, Mr. Walker walked in a few moments later. He spotted Lavi and sighed. "Lavi," he greeted. Lavi glared at him.

Mr. Walker set his briefcase down before coming over and sitting in the chair in front of him. Lavi held back his desire to smack the smug look off of his face. _Go ahead. Lecture me. Do it. I dare you!_ But Mr. Walker didn't. He said something completely unexpected. "So are you going to tell me what this morning was really all about?"

"Wh-what?" Lavi was stunned out of his silence.

"I don't think you're the type of person to just mindlessly torment other students. You must have a reason. What happened?"

Lavi flushed. "Like you care!" he jabbed, placing his head on his desk.

Mr. Walker sighed. "Despite what you think, Lavi, I truly do care about your wellbeing."

Lavi looked up at him with a questioning glare. Mr. Walker continued, "I happen to think you're smart, witty, and kind of charming. You're just…lost. Believe it or not, I used to be a regular in the detention room here."

Lavi felt a strange emotion wash over him. Why was Mr. Walker being so nice all of the sudden? Lavi had been ready to punch him in the face, yet Mr. Walker had called him charming. Charming? What the hell was that supposed to mean?! Creepy, pervy old man! Charming…

A slight blush began to form on Lavi's cheeks. _What the...?_ He thought desperately. _Am I seriously blushing? What's this? Why is he smiling so much? What...?!_

"Y-you went here?" Lavi said simply as his mind began to stumble over itself.

Mr. Walker smiled and nodded. "I graduated three years ago."

"Wh-what?!" Lavi had had no idea that he was so young. "You mean you were a senior when I was a freshman?!"

Mr. Walker blinked. "Huh…I never thought of that. Looks like we went to school together."

"How are you teaching now?!"

"Well, I'm not really a teacher. I'm in school to become a doctor, but my dean offered me this job to substitute as a few credits. His…friend runs the school."

"So you're a college student?"

"Yupp. This was my last chance to get into a super elite honors program that would land me a position in the most prestigious internship in the country! If I did this favor for him, he would write me a letter of recommendation that would make anyone cry!"

Lavi blinked. "I don't remember ever seeing you in the halls before."

Mr. Walker laughed. "No, I doubt that you would recognize me. I had much shorter hair then and never wore my uniform. I spent seventy percent of my high school career sitting in Principal Komui's office."

"How did you even graduate?"

"I was saved by a particularly…ah, shall we say, intuitive person." Allen's expression turned sour. Lavi got a feeling that Allen's typical politeness was preventing him from saying how he truly felt about this 'intuitive person' but he kept quiet. "He helped spark my desire to save people. I ended up graduating with honors and made it into school."

Lavi felt uncomfortable. He suddenly was unable to keep his gaze away from those searching grey eyes. Whenever their eyes met, Lavi felt a rush of nerves and glanced feebly away. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I see a lot of myself in you," Mr. Walker said carelessly. "Although, I was never half the writer you are!" Mr. Walker pushed a paper onto the desk. Lavi recognized it as the _To Kill a Mockingbird_ essay he wrote half-assedly.

"Wh-what's this?" Lavi blushed. There was a B circled in red ink.

"I couldn't give it an A because you never mentioned anything about the book directly, but I couldn't even think of giving it anything lower than a C. You're really talented, Lavi."

Talented? Lavi blushed furiously. What was overcoming him? His heart fluttered anxiously as Mr. Walker smiled warmly at him. "So I'd like to offer you a deal," he said.

"D-d-deal?!" Lavi gasped, hating the way his heart sped up. _Please stop looking at me with those eyes! _

"Yes. Remedial classes. I'll tutor you off the clock."

"Remedial classes?" Lavi grimaced.

"Yes, I get that that doesn't exactly sound like a fun time for you, but you've got such a gift for writing, Lavi! It would be a shame to leave it unattended to. We'll just say that these lessons are actually detentions. No one will know so your image will be saved."

Lavi thought it over. He had wanted to be a writer ever since he was a kid, yet…he wasn't entirely sure. But he found himself agreeing to Mr. Walker's preposition before he really thought about it. Mr. Walker lit up with a smile. "Great! Let's start right now!"

...

And that was how another month passed. Lavi and Mr. Walker would meet after class and work. Mr. Walker showed him how to express himself, stayed focused, and hone his skills. Lavi had decided that Mr. Walker wasn't as bad as he had originally thought. In fact, he was kind of…cool.

After a while, Lavi felt a sort of bond forming between them. Although, Lavi wasn't sure if Mr. Walker was into guys.

_What? NO! I don't like him THAT way! Stupid brain! He's a friend. No, not even! He's my teacher. That's IT. I don't care whether he's gay or straight or a goddamn asexual._

Still, Lavi flushed uneasily each time Mr. Walker walked pass. During their remediation sessions, he couldn't help but blush at their level of closeness. It wasn't like he wanted to! Mr. Walker's face just seemed so tranquil, so full of optimism, and so willing to help. Lavi didn't mind the way his hair fell in front of his eyes either. Or how his eyes closed when he laughed with a childlike smile on his face. He never yelled at him, no matter how harsh Lavi's pranks (yes, he still pranked him) had become. These pranks had almost become a symbol of Lavi's growing affection for the young teacher. He was sure Mr. Walker was aware of that little fact-at least partially-as a smile would appear on his face whenever he fell for it.

And he was so patient.

No matter how fed up or unmotivated Lavi would become, Mr. Walker never yelled at him. Even when Lavi would purposefully neglect to finish the work he set aside for him, Mr. Walker never chastised. He just rolled his eyes with that damned smile and waited patiently.

That's what made Lavi so attracted to him.

_GAH! SHUT UP, BRAIN! NOT ATTRACTED! NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!  
_

* * *

**Oh, Lavi, it's okay to admit your feelings! :P Anywho, short-ish chapter (sorry...) but here ya go. And Happy Fourth of July! (even though it's the fifth, oops!) Many thanks to all that fav/ followed/ reviewed/ whatever else. Monday good for everyone for the next chapter? All right, see you then! -N**


	4. Chapter 4

"So how's the teaching thing coming along?"

Allen Walker sighed, resting his cheek on his hand. "Oh man. It's…" He waved his hands exaggeratedly, unable to think of the right word.

"That bad? I told you it wasn't going to be worth it!" Allen's friend and former roommate, Reever Wenhamm smirked at him before raising his cup of coffee to his lips. "Professor Marian is laughing at you, you know."

"Don't even mention him!" Allen hissed angrily as he furiously hurried to grade papers. "It's his fault I'm in this mess to begin with!"

"You're the one who agreed to it!" Reever sighed. "Seriously. I don't get it. Professor Marian took you in when you were little and he's still making you go through this?"

"He said that if I do this small favor for him then he would waiver some of my credits and I would be that much closer to my MD."

"Still, it seems unfair. He's always making you do stupid things. Even in high school."

Allen glowered. "You know, sometimes I wish that Cross Marian would have never come into my life. But…honestly, I wouldn't have graduated without him."

Reever nodded slowly. "You _are_ a completely different person now than you were then. Still, I'm proud of you, man! And I just can't fathom how you're doing this! I mean, teaching a high school class _and_ still doing all your college work on time. It's incredible."

"Well, luckily, I saved up enough to make it through the rest of the year."

Reever choked on his coffee. "You mean you're not even getting _paid_?"

Allen rolled his eyes. "Of course I am. All the money is just going to Cross."

"Damn. He's got you on a tight leash, my friend!"

"Ever since I was a kid," Allen sighed, remembering the first time he met his guardian Cross Marian.

It had been the day after his foster father's funeral. Mana Walker picked Allen up from school, like he always did, and was driving calmly through the light traffic as he scolded Allen for having failed yet another biology test. "If you just applied yourself," Mana had shouted, "you could do so much with your life! You could even become a doctor! I just don't understand why you won't even open your book once in a while!"

A much younger Allen glared out the window the entire time, watching the rain slide down the windows uninterestedly. "I hate school," he muttered pointlessly.

"But you're so bright! That's it. Starting now, I'm cracking down! You've got to be more responsible than this! The first thing you do when you get home is homework and study! You can't leave my sight until it's all finished!"

Allen groaned. "Are you kidding me? It's just a stupid grade, Mana!"

"Yeah, well that stupid grade is going to determine whether or not you are successful in life! Dammit, Allen, don't you _want_ a good life?"

That hit a nerve. Allen gritted his teeth angrily and hissed out, "Why the hell are you so worried about it?" he shouted. "I'm not your real son!"

Mana silenced. His expression seemed to soften. "Listen…Allen, I just want what's best for you. You know that I lo—"

Allen felt the car lurch harshly to the side. He heard the sound of tires screeching and metal gnashing and smashing against itself. In the violent shake that followed, Allen his hit head off of the glass window, hearing it shatter under the weight. The car flipped through the air, landing on its side.

As it struck the steaming, wet highway, Allen lost consciousness.

When he finally opened his eyes he was hanging upside down, strapped to the torn seat by his sturdy seatbelt. He was dizzy and disoriented, trying to remember what happened. He felt something warm and wet running down the side of his face. Upon touching it, he realized he was bleeding. He was overcome with a sense of panic and a wave of pain seized his entire body. His left side ached horribly and he was unable to move his hand. His ears were ringing. His head pounded. Even breathing hurt.

Suddenly, he was blinded by a flash of white. Wincing, he noticed through the cracked windshield that there were spinning blue and red lights not too far away. "I see them!" a voice boomed loudly in his throbbing ears. The voice sounded distant, like it was speaking from underwater. "A boy and a man!"

The mention of another occupant in the car made Allen's heart leap into his throat. "M-Mana!" he croaked, ignoring the pain as he struggled to twist in his seat to glance at the driver's side above him. "M-Mana!"

It was dark, so thankfully Allen couldn't see Mana entirely, but the crumpled figure slumped against the steering wheel made Allen sick to his stomach. "MANA!" he cried, unable to keep the tears from his eyes. He struggled to remove his seatbelt, which was pinned between his seat and the door. He looked back up at his foster father. "I'm coming, Mana!" he shouted. "Mana, please!"

There were more lights and voices than before. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached through the broken window and pulled at Allen's belt. Allen struggled against it. "N-no! Mana! Mana, wake up! MANA!"

A paramedic pulled Allen from the wreckage, carrying his writhing body across the street to a lit up ambulance. The lights burned Allen's eyes as they fixated on the smashed car that was nearly completely wrapped around the front of a large commercial truck. He reached out toward it and screamed for his father.

The paramedics had to restrain him. They placed an oxygen mask over his mask and the ambulance sped forward. The sudden movement caused Allen's stomach to lurch. He squeezed his eyes shut, finding it much too bright in the small, confined space. "Mana," he whispered again and again, tears streaming down his face.

"Can you hear us?"

"Keep your eyes open!"

"Stay with us, kid!"

"What's your name?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

Allen's head spun as he gazed confusedly at the paramedics surrounding him. They were scrambling about, looking serious, and keeping silent about anything else. One look at his own hands, covered in red, was enough to make Allen pass out again.

When he woke up, he was in the hospital. A doctor was there, looking relieved. He told Allen that he had been in a car accident, that he had been unconscious for three days, and that he was going to be all right. The first thing to pass his dry lips was his father's name. "Mana. Where's my dad?"

The doctor frowned before whispering, "Mr. Walker passed during the first night you were here."

Anguish couldn't even begin to describe how Allen felt.

The funeral had been short, but many people showed up. All of them gave Allen hugs and remarked at how tall he had gotten. Allen found it hard to believe that people he didn't even know still found it appropriate to comment on his appearance during a funeral.

His left eye was wrapped in bandages. The glass had cut his entire cheek and would no doubt leave a scar for the rest of his life. His left arm was broken. He had several cracked ribs and a fractured leg along with countless bruises and cuts.

But he was alive.

He had survived.

But he still felt like he shouldn't have.

After the funeral, Allen was approached by an older gentleman with red hair and a beard and fancy clothes. "You must be Allen," he had said.

Allen nodded with dull eyes. The man extended a hand. "My name is Cross Marian. I'm a dean at Black Order University. I was a family friend of Mana's."

"I never heard of you before," Allen said defiantly.

"We had a bit of a falling out." Cross didn't look sad or grieving. He looked abnormally normal. "Anyways, why don't you come with me? We'll go get ice cream or something."

So Allen ended up staying with Cross Marian, who whipped Allen into shape within a few years. He forced Allen to study and then study again. If Allen did poorly on a test, he would force the boy to undergo ridiculous punishments. But, Cross's strict methods coupled with Allen's determination to do as Mana wished and become a doctor paid off. Allen graduated with honors and made it into Black Order University, where Cross was the dean at one of the schools inside of it.

He worked all hours of the day to keep up with his work. He was number one in his class, but he was beginning to struggle to stay on his feet. That was right about when Cross offered Allen a little deal.

"High school what?" Allen blinked furiously.

Cross Marian lifted his feet onto his desk. "Oh, come now, Allen! It would only be for a few weeks! All you would have to do is teach English! You love books, don't you?"

"Well, sure, but—"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Is this…legal?"

"The principal of the school is an old friend of mine. When I mentioned that our school's top student was looking for some community service opportunities, he and I made a little deal of our own."

"You're going to pass this off as community service?!"

"Look. If you do this favor for me, I'd be willing to make it worth your while."

Allen raised a suspicious eyebrow at his guardian. "What do you mean?"

"An internship at the finest program in the country, an elaborate letter of recommendation from myself, and I'll count this teaching experience as some credits."

"Wh-what?!"

Cross nodded. "So what do you say, idiot?"

Allen groaned as he collapsed onto the café table with Reever watching him worriedly. "Damn him!" he growled. "This 'little deal' is going to be the death of me!"

"Well, you've been there, what, a month now?" Reever said. "You can't be there much longer. Besides, it can't be that bad!"

"Well, most of my students are very nice and responsible," Allen said, "and they make my life so much easier. But there's one student in particular that never fails to just piss me off."

Reever chuckled. "Oh yeah? What does he do, play little pranks on you?"

Allen nodded furiously. "YES! But it's not harmless pranks like putting a whoopee cushion under my chair or something. He's out for blood!"

Reever laughed. "Oh come on. I'm sure it's you're just exaggerating a bit!"

"You never met him. He's hated me since day one. He's lazy, unmotivated, and rebellious. But he's very, very gifted at writing! Reever, I never read anything like it. He's a downright prodigy. So I started to tutor him during his detentions and his writing has improved even more. But, ever since we started these remedial lessons, his pranks have gotten even more dangerous!"

"Well, it sounds to me that he's just fond of you, Al!" Reever shrugged. "He's probably doing these pranks as a token of thanks."

"A token of thanks?" Allen repeated. He thought of Lavi and the way his face seemed to be etched into an eternal scowl. "No. That's definitely not it."

"Whatever. Listen, I have to get to class, but I'll catch you later. Okay, buddy?"

"Yeah, see you."

* * *

**Aw, Allen! Why must you always be tortured so?! (;_;) "No Lavi this chapter," you may ask? To which I happily reply, "Just you wait you a little while longer!" Now that we know where Allen's coming from it'll make things a little clearer in chapters to come. I know I said Monday but I have a goal in my head to get this story finished before summer is over! Thanks as always to those that FFR'd (Followed, favorited, reviewed) and I'll see you in a few days! Stay classy -N  
**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ever hear of the YWA?"

Lavi lifted his head from the desk. "Huh?"

"The Young Writer's Alliance. They hold this big contest each year. You write and submit a paper on anything you want. And the student that writes the best paper gets a huge scholarship and their paper published."

Lavi failed to see the point. "So why are you telling me this?"

His English teacher sighed. "I dunno. Don't you wanna give it a shot? You could definitely stand a chance!"

Lavi snorted. "Thanks, but no thanks, Teach. I'm not as good as you keep saying I am."

"Rubbish!" Mr. Walker protested. He lifted Lavi's most recent essay and dropped it in front of him. There was an A+ written in the corner. Lavi gawked at it. "I couldn't find a single flaw in it. And believe you me—I searched and searched! It's perfect!"

_Perfect_…

Lavi blushed but pushed the paper away. "You're just trying to make me feel good about myself. I'm not a writer."

"I don't understand you, Lavi! You have all the proof you need in those four pages! You _are_ a writer and you could do so much with your talent if you just worked at it!" Mr. Walker's grey eyes were filled with sincerity.

Lavi bit his cheek. "I wouldn't know what to even write about."

"I'll help you."

"I wouldn't be able to stay focused."

"I'll make sure you won't quit."

"I wouldn't win."

Mr. Walker's eyes became hard and unrelenting. "I'll prove you wrong!"

Run out of excuses, Lavi became more and more uncomfortable under the white-haired man's fierce gaze. He fumbled uneasily in his seat before finally agreeing, just to pry those haunting eyes away from him. Mr. Walker lit up instantly. "All right! We should get started right away!"

After a few minutes of brainstorming, Lavi spoke up. "Look, Mr. Walker…"

"Jeez, Lavi. Just call me Allen, okay? I'm not really your teacher. I'm just a sub. Plus, I'm only three years your elder. Calling me 'mister' just makes me feel old and kinda creepy!"

Lavi couldn't argue with that. "Okay. Allen, then…"

"Yeah?"

Lavi forced himself to look back into his eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

Allen blinked. "Why am I doing what?"

"H-helping me."

"Oh!" Allen broke into a grin. "Because I want to."

"Why?"

Allen paused. "Like I said before," he said after some thought, "I see a lot of myself in you."

Lavi thought over his answer before falling silent for the rest of the night.

...

As Allen unlocked his door holding some takeout Chinese food for what would surely be another sleepless night, he inhaled the undeniable scent of cigar smoke.

He blanched as he thought of his gambling-loving, womanizing, and strict guardian, who, despite his prestigious job, was known for nearly always having a cigar in his mouth. He shuddered as he forced the thought out of his head. He sighed in relief with the knowledge that his guardian was miles away and Allen wouldn't have to see him for a little while longer.

Allen set his food down in the dark before taking off his coat. Just as he hung it up, the lights flashed on without Allen touching the switch. He froze as he heard the bags of takeout being rummaged through.

"No soy sauce? You're an idiot," a dark, sneering voice rumbled.

A cold sweat began to form on Allen's forehead. He felt as though the walls around him were crumpling down as he instantly identified that voice to the person he didn't want to see more than anything. He turned around rigidly, looking a bit like a frightened cat with his disheveled hair and wide eyes.

Cross Marian was sitting on Allen's couch with a box of fried rice in his hands, already eating the contents inside of it. He was wearing a flashy black and gold coat with a big hat that matched his flamboyant personality. His red hair was sticking out in a dangerous manner, much unlike the carefree way Lavi's seemed to hang in front of his eyes. Wait, why did he think of Lavi?

Allen let out a little squeak upon seeing him there, despite already knowing it was him. Cross smirked at Allen's face and simply said, "It's about time you got back! I was beginning to get bored of just sitting here in the dark."

"Then why didn't you turn on the lights?" Allen groaned.

"Because then I wouldn't get to see your reaction, idiot."

Allen blinked. "H-how did you even get in here?! The door was locked!"

Cross grunted. "You have a very easy lock to pick."

"You _broke into my home?!_"

"Well, you never made me a key." Cross said earnestly. "And besides, I pay for this place. Technically it's _my_ home."

Allen gritted his teeth angrily as Cross continued to eat his food. "Do you mind?" He snatched the box from Cross's surprised hands.

"You have enough food for four people!" Cross protested, digging through the contents of the bags.

"I've had a very long day." Allen sighed, holding his head. "And it's turning into an even longer night. What do you want?"

"So impatient…" Cross breathed. He brought his legs up to rest on Allen's coffee table impolitely. "But fine, here's the deal. I'm leaving the country for a bit."

Allen snorted. "What did you do this time?"

"I'm not in trouble, you brat! I'm just heading to Tokyo for some business. I need you to watch over Tim while I'm gone."

"Wha?!" Allen whined. "But I'm busy enough as it is! Between this high school thing, college, and still trying to find time to eat and sleep I'm a little short on free time, you know!"

"It's just for a little while."

"But, I—"

"Look, I already brought his bed in and everything so you're just going to have to deal with it."

Allen sighed. "Fine. Where is he anyways?"

Cross smirked. He pointed with his thumb behind his shoulder, in the direction of Allen's bedroom. "He's been exploring."

Allen blanched and ran instantly for his room, praying that it was still intact. He stuck his head through his door to find a golden dog tearing his pillows to shreds. Feathers were sailing gracefully all over the room. "No!" Allen cried, rushing over to stop the mutt. "Bad, Timcanpy! Stop!"

He lifted Tim by the collar before carrying him out the room and closing the door firmly. Timcanpy wagged his tail excitedly before licking Allen's face. Grudgingly, he smiled. "All right, all right! Tim, cut it out! I missed you, too!"

Timcanpy was Cross's dog and the only thing that he ever showed affection for. He treated Tim like his only son, even though Allen was legally dubbed as that title. Allen didn't mind. He sort of resented the smoking professor that adopted him and Tim had made for good company during the countless days that Cross would just vanish for a bit and left the two alone sometimes weeks at a time.

Allen scratched Timcanpy behind the ear before walking back out to the living room, where Cross was still helping himself to Allen's dinner. Tim padded at Allen's heels and sat down beside him once Allen stopped walking. "See? He's already taken to it here," Cross said with his mouthful.

"Fine. But how long will he be here?"

Cross shrugged.

"You're not really going to Tokyo on business, are you." It was a statement. Allen knew Cross well enough.

Cross just laughed before standing up. "I don't know what you're talking about! Anyways, Tim eats twice a day—at seven in the morning and five in the afternoon. You have to walk him for an hour every day. He likes the dog park at the other end of the city. Oh, and don't forget to wash him once a week! Take him out every few hours. And—"

"I got it!" Allen held up his hands. "Sheesh. I can handle it."

Cross glared at him. "For your sake, I hope you can. If there is one hair harmed on his head when I get back you can forget about this deal!"

Allen waved him off. "Yeah, yeah!"

Cross huffed and stood up. He wiped at his sleeve. "Then I'll see you soon. I'll miss you, kid."

"Really?" Allen gasped.

Cross shot him a deep glower that made Allen feel like he was two inches tall. "I was speaking to Tim, idiot!"

Allen sighed. "Of course you were."

Giving Timcanpy a loving pat in farewell, Cross left without another glance at Allen.

Allen blinked down at the dog, who wagged his tail slowly as he gazed back up to him. Sighing, Allen looked at the clock. It was a little after nine. His stomach growled annoyingly.

He fished out what remained of his dinner and began eating as he pulled a stack of papers that needed to be graded towards him. He heard a whine next to him. He turned, a piece of chicken hanging from his mouth, and saw two round, sad eyes watching him pleadingly.

Allen shook his head. "Sorry, Tim, but if Cross found out I gave you human food he'd probably turn _me_ into kibble."

Timcanpy let out another slow whine. Groaning, Allen tossed him a piece of chicken, which Tim caught happily. "Don't say I never did anything for you," he muttered, turning his attention back to the papers. But, strangely, as Allen scribbled away at Yu Kanda's paper, he wasn't thinking about grammar or spelling. His thoughts were on a particular student with red hair and a cocky smile.

* * *

**We're getting closer and closer! To what? To the good stuff, of course! :3 thanks sooo much for all the FFRs! And does anyone else just love Cross as much as I do? Allen and his banters are just too funny! (and I WILL finish this before summer is over even if I have to update once a day! *determination*) Anyways, see you in a bit! -N  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Lavi glared at his ceiling relentlessly. He pulled his sweater closer to him. December had come with no mercy. The snow was falling at an alarming rate. Already Lavi's front lawn had been turned into a winter wonderland. It was almost impossible to see the other side of the road through the thick flurry. He wondered vaguely if school would be canceled the next day.

For the first time in his life, he hoped that it wouldn't.

He was looking forward to his tutoring session with Mr. Walker…with Allen.

But he had a massive case of writer's block.

He didn't know what to write about. The deadline for the paper was February 1st, which was roughly seven weeks away. As he grimaced at the blank document on his laptop screen, he felt a wave of doom crash over him. The blinking cursor seemed to mock him.

Growling in frustration, he slammed the laptop closed and fell back on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling again. This was becoming ridiculous. At the beginning of the year, Lavi had just been an ordinary student with no plans or goals or responsibilities or worries. Then Mr. Walker showed up and ruined everything. He made him work. He made him write. He was the one that made him join this stupid competition in the first place! It was his fault!

The very thought of Lavi's English teacher caused his stomach to twist into a knot of nerves. He hid face in his pillow. It had been three months now since Mr. Walker had come to teach them. Although it was supposed to be a temporary thing, there was no talk of him leaving any time soon, which caused a small bubble of happiness to form in Lavi's chest.

"Damn it," he groaned.

He couldn't deny that he had feelings for his teacher any longer. He now saw why all the girls in the high school made a fuss about him. He was really good looking, and smart, and kind, and had a slight English accent snuck out sometimes, and he was so _good looking_…

And annoying! Mr. Walker-Allen-was like an intrusive ant crawling into his life and reappearing no matter how hard he tried to get rid of him. It was those damn eyes that did it. Those grey, caring-

Lavi gritted his teeth. Why him? Why did Lavi have to like **_him_**? Of all people…

Suddenly, Lavi got an idea, like Inspiration had just flew in through the window and kicked him in the face.

He sat up and pulled his laptop closer to him. He opened it and glared challengingly at the blank document. Allen always said that Lavi did his best writing when he wasn't trying. So…

Lavi began to type. He wrote about a kid who was failing every class, dealing with bullies, and spending most of his nights alone. And he wrote about a teacher who refused to give up on any of his students and had sparked a hidden talent that the kid didn't even know he had. Leaving names out of the mix, Lavi began to write about hope and all that sappy stuff, but, oddly, he had a smile on his face the whole time.

...

Allen Walker yawned as his head hit the hard, unforgiving surface of his coffee table. His eyes fluttered closed as an exhausted groan left his lips. He was waiting in a haze for the miraculous ding of his coffee maker to save him from this cloud of fatigue. His body felt so lethargic that even when the caffeinated beverage was ready he would probably be too weak to go get it.

His grey eyes opened to rest on the hopeless pile of work he had neglected to finish.

_Why did I ever agree to such a stupid deal?_

_DING!_

With a tremendous effort, Allen pushed himself to his feet and trudged like a zombie to the rarely used kitchen of his flat, tripping over Timcanpy about a dozen times. Everything was paid for in advance by Cross—the one thing the manipulative jerk seemed to come through for. Allen supposed he was grateful for all that Cross had done for him, but at the same time…well…he could have sugar-coated his actions just a _little_!

Allen threw a treat to Timcanpy before he poured himself a tall cup of coffee, adding two packets of sugar to it and stirring calmly as he made his way back to the couch. Tim leapt up and curled at his side with a tired sigh. The steaming hot, bitter liquid had just touched his lips when he spotted a familiar paper sitting at the top of his work. A distracted smile pulled at his lips as he lifted it up.

It was Lavi Bookman's first essay he wrote for Allen. How did it end up here?

Accepting that he was a helpless procrastinator, Allen plopped down on the couch, sipped his coffee, and read through the paper for what must have been the seventh time while scratching Tim absentmindedly.

What was it about Lavi Bookman that captured Allen's thoughts all the time?

Of course, the redhead's loud mouth and devious antics were enough to rouse anyone's attention. But it was more than that. Allen saw straight through Lavi's bad boy attitude. Underneath the scowls and teasing there was a genuinely kind person that had an uncanny ability to turn a phrase. Allen began to look forward to the days that Lavi stayed after class for "remedial lessons", which had started to become more and more frequent as the year went on.

Although, Allen wouldn't mind seeing Lavi's somewhat…abrasive attitude toward his classmates dissipate a bit. Especially towards poor Tyki Mikk. Lavi seemed to have it in for the bespectacled, sensitive boy. Still, he didn't like to think of anyone in a bad manner, so he prayed with all his might that there was another side to the story.

As he turned the page of Lavi's essay, he accidentally spilled some coffee on himself. "Gah!" he cried out as the hot liquid settled uncomfortably on his thigh. The sudden movement started poor Tim, who fled from the couch faster than when Allen had turned on the vacuum cleaner earlier. "My new pants…" he whined before rushing to the kitchen to hopefully mop up the mess.

After failing to remove the stain, Allen took a shower and settled into bed, feeling wide awake but unwilling to work a second longer. He thought about Cross and wondered vaguely what he was doing right now before decided promptly that he didn't care and hoped that he was losing money in a poker game again. With the picture of Cross's angry face fresh in his mind, Allen drifted off into a fitful sleep.

In what felt like no time at all he was back in his classroom. He looked up from his desk to see no other students there except for one: Lavi Bookman. Lavi was writing at his desk calmly with a small smile set on his face. His red hair seemed particularly spikey today.

Allen blinked in confusion. Had he fallen asleep? He glanced at the clock and saw that it was roughly three in the afternoon. That meant that this was one of Lavi's tutoring sessions.

Odd. Allen didn't entirely remember teaching at all today. He must have been more tired than he thought.

"Lavi?" Allen called out unsurely.

Lavi looked up with a strange smile on his face. "Oh, hey, Teach."

Allen yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry. I must have dozed off. You should have woken me up."

"I couldn't do that. You looked too adorable."

Allen glanced up at that comment, expecting to see a sarcastic or teasing leer on the teen's face, but instead he was met with a kind, genuine smile. A red blush heated his cheeks. "Y-you're ridiculous," Allen mumbled before dropping his gaze again.

He heard some movement and looked up, frazzled to see Lavi Bookman's face mere inches from his own. Allen flinched back with a surprised grimace. "Wh-what are you doing?!" He gasped as Lavi followed his movements, leaning across the desk with a devilish smirk.

"No one is here…" Lavi pointed out slyly. "What's the big deal? No one will ever find out…" he trailed off as he leaned in again, this time in a playful attempt to touch the shocked teacher, who flew from his seat.

He backed up until his back hit the chalkboard behind him roughly. He watched with wide, fearful eyes as Lavi laughed and sauntered towards him, still wearing that uncharacteristically soft smile. There was a dark look in Lavi's eye that made Allen feel uncomfortable and a bit threatened.

"I-If this is one of your pranks it's gone too far!" Allen squeaked. He sounded like a scared little girl not a teacher. "I'm warning you, Bookman!" he added a little more threateningly as Lavi's lean hand wrapped around his tie. Allen gasped as Lavi yanked on it, pulling him closer until they were only inches apart.

"Just relax," came the redhead's reply as his hand slipped from his tie to his white hair effortlessly.

Allen flushed horribly. "This is wrong!" he cried. "I'm your teacher!"

Lavi chuckled darkly. The sound caused uncomfortable chills to spiral past Allen's spine. An unwilling moan left his trembling lips. Lavi grinned and moved even closer. His lips were just centimeters from Allen's.

"Then teach me," he whispered seductively before pressing his mouth against Allen's completely.

Allen blanked. Lavi was kissing him. Lavi was _kissing him!_

_No, no, no, NO!_ His brain chanted a million times. The word pounded in his head with the strength of a hundred drums.

But somewhere in the white-haired boy's heart came a smaller voice that pronounced a different opinion. It squeaked out a chorus of happy "Yes's" that leaked from each fiber of his being as Allen's shaky, unsure arms raised up and wrapped around Lavi's neck, digging into the younger's red hair that matched his fiery personality.

Lavi pulled away, a visible grin on his flushed face. Then, so slowly, and leaned in and licked Allen's nose.

_Wait...licked?_

Lavi opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a strange, mechanical sounding "BEEP!"

Allen blinked in confusion as the action repeated itself. BEEP! BEEP!

Allen Walker opened his eyes to find a pair of big yellow eyes staring back at him. He realized it was Timcanpy sitting on his chest, licking his face with his tail moving faster than a ceiling fan. He slowly began to piece together what had happened.

He jerked awake instantly, gasping as his alarm clock continued to do its unholy job of snatching Allen from the beautiful world of his dreams. As his hand slammed down harshly on the off button, a red blush crept onto his face as the memory of what he had actually dreamt about flashed vividly in his head.

He blushed even harder when he realized the sudden tightness of his pants.

Guilt and embarrassment filled the young man's conscience as he scurried to the confines of his bathroom, desperately willing the frozen picture of Lavi's face scrunched in that licentious expression from his dirty mind.

On his way to work, he tried with all his might not to think of the redheaded boy. What had gotten into him? The street lights seemed to mock him as he hit every red light possible on his route to the school. He glared at the fluorescent light, feeling a newfound hatred for the color it shot back at him.

_It was a dream_, he decided determinedly. _A stupid dream. It doesn't mean a thing. Nothing about it was true._

_I do NOT like Lavi Bookman._

_…Right?_

_..._

As Lavi walked down the hall with an unfinished rough draft in his bag, he had a smile on his face. His friends noticed his good mood and glanced at one another worriedly. "Are you sick?" Kanda asked bluntly.

"Are you really Lavi Bookman?" Krory sounded scared.

"Stop being idiots." Lavi rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ I'm me!"

"Well, we've never seen you so…excited to be in school before!"

"What, I can't be in a good mood?" Lavi defended.

Kanda and Krory exchanged glances. "No," they said together.

Lavi sighed. "Thanks, guys. I'll see you in class."

They hesitated but nodded and left to go to their lockers. Lavi watched them go before heading for his own locker. As he passed, he stumbled across a scene in the hallway. Tyki Mikk was holding an underclassman up against the row of lockers. The boy was obviously frightened, squirming and trying to break free while Tyki relentlessly demanded the kid's lunch money.

Anger filled Lavi. Why couldn't the dumb animal just leave everyone alone? No one deserved to be bullied in such a manner. Where the hell were all the teachers?

Before he was fully aware of it himself, Lavi's hand tightened into a fist and he marched directly toward Tyki. "MIKK!" he shouted before grabbed the cuff of Tyki's collar and pulling him away from the younger boy. The boy scurried away at once.

"Damn it!" Tyki hissed. "You're really starting to piss me off!"

"Funny, that's just what I was thinking!" Lavi growled. "Why don't you just pick on someone your own size?"

"What, do you mean you?" Tyki laughed. "I'm not afraid of you, faggot!"

That word caused something inside of Lavi to snap. He threw Tyki into the lockers roughly, daring him verbally to say it again. Tyki groaned and held his nose, which looked like it was bleeding. Lavi was so angry he didn't care. He raised a fist, preparing to drive it right into the broken bone, but his wrist was caught by a strong, tense hand.

Lavi turned to see Allen Walker glaring furiously at him. Lavi cursed his bad luck. Mr. Walker already thought Lavi bullied Tyki on a regular basis. Upon seeing Mr. Walker, Tyki started to cry again, looking like a big baby. Lavi wanted to kick him.

"Enough." Allen's voice was scarily calm. He had never heard him so mad before. "Mr. Bookman, come with me this instant!" With that, he yanked Lavi's arm and led him through the hallway. Lavi looked back at Tyki, who smiled darkly at him and waved.

Lavi scowled. Sometimes he really, really _hated_ his teacher!

Lavi assumed that Allen was leading him to Principal Komui's office, but instead he took him to his room. Allen dragged Lavi inside and closed the door. Lavi glared up at him as he stepped inside. They were eye to eye. Despite himself, Lavi blushed at their closeness. He could smell the lingering aroma of coffee and vanilla coming from Allen. The scent oddly calmed him.

Allen, however, looked downright mad. "I thought I told you to stop terrorizing that boy!"

Lavi's foul mood returned. "I'm not the one terrorizing anything! It's _him_ that's been bullying other kids and trying to act like he owns the damn place!"

"You expect me to believe that Tyki Mikk is the one bullying others?" Allen glared. "I've caught you several times!"

"All right, so I retaliate!" Lavi admitted. "But he's the one that starts it each time! He tried coating Lenalee with rubber cement, he threw a dodge ball straight into a freshman's face, and he was practically beating up some kid in the hall just now! No one else stands up to him so he keeps getting away with it! And every time I try to stop him I'm the one that ends up getting in trouble because he has all the teachers either fooled or scared of him!"

Allen pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just…stop." He sighed. "I may be your teacher, Lavi, but I'm also your _friend_," Allen said decisively. "I don't want you to get expelled over something as stupid as getting in a fight with a classmate! You're so much better than that!"

Lavi looked away, feeling guilt beginning to boil inside of him. He wasn't guilty over hurting Tyki Mikk. No, that jerk deserved way worse. But he felt bad for letting Mr. Walker down. He was mad at himself for letting Allen's image of him be tarnished. "Sorry," he mumbled before he could help it.

Allen softened. "I just want what's best for you, Lavi. If you would just _apply_ yourself, you'd be—" he cut off short. His eyes had suddenly gone wide, like he remembered something bad. Lavi watched him worriedly before Allen broke into a small, forced smile and shook his head. "We'll talk about this later. Class is about to start. Why don't you sit down?"

Lavi worried about Allen's sudden melancholy demeanor, but the bell rang before he could ask anything more about it. Lavi went and sat down, feeling strange. His classmates began to file in haphazardly. When Tyki Mikk walked in with an ice pack over his nose, he looked surprised to see Lavi sitting there.

Lavi grinned and gave him a wave. _That's right, Mikk. I'm not going anywhere._

* * *

**Mwahaha! It was just Allen's dream! -Gets shot- BUT I promise you that the next chapter will not contain any dreams-IT'S ALL REAL. Are you excited as I am?! We're moving along nicely! As always, thanks for the FFRs! They really are like little high-fives. aand this was actually two short chapters smushed together. You're welcome ;) okay, okay. Enough of my blabbering! See you soon (by which I probably mean like a day)! -N**


	7. Chapter 7

Allen Walker was in trouble.

Ever since he had started tutoring Lavi Bookman, he had started to care for the trouble maker. Perhaps too much. Allen found the time he spent with the student to be enjoyable. He thought that Lavi was talented, charming, and even began to find his ruthless pranks endearing. His writing had improved tenfold, if that was possible.

He simply had shrugged all these confusing feelings as brotherly or even parental. He identified a bit of himself in Lavi's troubled past and knew full well what he was going through. Allen's desire to comfort and guide the student was nothing more than that-an effort to reach out and inspire a young mind, just as he had been. The reason as to why Allen was constantly thinking of the boy was just because he was worried. There was nothing wrong with worrying for someone that seemed to attract trouble wherever he went, was there? Allen was simply being a good person.

Of course, Allen knew deep down that all of that was complete nonsense. Well, no, it was actually all true! He did wish to help Lavi any way he could and he truly did worry about him. It was just that...there were other motives behind his actions. He knew what he felt for Lavi wasn't what was considered "brotherly" or "parental." They ran much deeper than that. Allen refused to admit it. His pride and his conscience wouldn't stand for it.

But slowly, Allen found it harder and harder to find the line between friendly and lovingly. He was second guessing each movement, thinking through each sentence in his head before he said them, in fear that Lavi would pick up on Allen's ever growing feelings. He became terrified of what Lavi would think if he knew what Allen had dreamt about for several nights in a row now.

His view of the hot-headed teen had been shifted exponentially. He grew fluttery and nervous around him for no apparent reason at all. He had spent countless hours alone with Lavi before so why was he acting now like a lost school girl all of the sudden? Allen hated the way his voice would come out sounding more feminine at times.

That cocky smile that Allen once despised seeing now caused his chest to seize up and his breath to catch. Even the smallest touch as they exchanged papers forced a quaint blush to color his cheeks.

Allen watched Lavi as he scribbled away with a serious look on his face. He couldn't look away. He was left gaping at the underage trouble-maker. Lavi really was good-looking. His unique features and eye color made him, well, beautiful.

Allen shook himself. He knew he should be locked away for having these thoughts. But he couldn't help it. He was drawn to him. It wasn't just mindless attraction…Allen genuinely cared for him.

Of course, he was certain that Lavi would never return his feelings. He never, in a million years, thought that Lavi could possibly be gay. Allen had accepted that. He knew nothing would happen, but these feelings couldn't and wouldn't stop growing. If there was a way that Allen could just switch them off or will them away, Allen would happily do so. He wasn't strong enough to fight against his feelings forever, but there was absolutely no way he could ever act on them.

Allen took a deep breath and steadied himself. He did his best to push his thoughts into a mental drawer to be thought about at a later time. For now, he was obligated to act as Lavi's instructor and friend. That was enough.

Lavi stopped writing for a moment with a serious look on his face. His pencil was poised tauntingly at his lips. Allen wistfully wondered what it would be like to press his lips against his. Allen jumped, surprised at his own thoughts. Standing quickly, Allen reached over and snatched the paper from Lavi's unwilling hands. "Let me take a look!"

"Hey!" Lavi cried in protest. "It's not finished yet!" He blushed heavily. The kid had a habit of doing that lately. Allen thought it was cute. "Are you even listening to me?"

Allen started to read it, his smile disappearing the more he read. He glanced up at Lavi with a lump in his throat. "What is this?" he said breathlessly.

Lavi scratched his cheek. "My paper."

Allen looked down at the paper in his hands that suddenly felt very heavy. He felt a rush of affection for the suddenly shy boy in front of him. It almost made tears come to his eyes. The paper was about a kid who was "saved" by a kind, nameless teacher.

Was it…about him? About _them_?

"A-are you…okay?" Lavi asked, afraid.

"Oh, yes! Of course I am!" Allen wiped at his eyes embarrassedly. "I just…this is…" He sighed. "Thank you."

Lavi shrugged. His cheeks were a bright red. "Well…I didn't say anything that wasn't true. Without you, I'd…well, I wouldn't be doing as well as I am in English."

Allen smiled. "You did that on your own. All I did was give you a push in the right direction."

"I needed a push."

"We all do eventually."

Their eyes locked. A certain heat flooded Allen's body. He felt himself being drawn into Lavi's gaze. Suddenly, Lavi began to lean in slowly.

Allen froze: shocked still at the sudden movement.

_What's he doing?_

Lavi kept moving closer and closer.

His lips parted.

_Am I dreaming again? Oh, I hope I am!_

He was only a few inches away.

Allen's heart raced. A blush colored his cheeks.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Allen's conscience woke up. He grabbed Lavi's shoulders and pushed him away a little rougher than he had meant to. "L-Lavi!" he gasped.

Lavi's eyes snapped open. A look of pure rejection and humiliation heated his wide, flushed face. He teetered on the edge of speech. "I—er—I didn't…" he went on in complete mortification. Allen barely heard what Lavi sputtered out in his mortification. He just sat there, frozen, trying to process what had just occurred between the two of them in the empty English classroom.

Had Lavi really just tried to kiss him?

And did Allen seriously push him away?

"L-Lavi…" Allen cleared his throat, trying to form cohesive thoughts in his frazzled brain.

Lavi gritted his teeth, grabbed his bag, and rose to his feet. "Sorry," he grumbled curtly and all but ran for the door, leaving behind the paper on the desk.

"Lavi! Lavi, wait!" Allen rose out his chair, reaching out for the youth, but it was too late. The sharp sound of the door slamming closed signaled that Lavi had already left.

Allen sunk back into the chair, wondering whether or not he should chase after him.

The way Lavi's hot breath had hit him was still fresh in his mind. He touched his cheek in a daze, still feeling its warmth.

He couldn't deny that he harbored romantic feelings for the kid, but…still…it was hugely inappropriate. Allen wasn't the type of person to just go against the law. If Allen had let that gone on any longer, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself. He didn't want to be taking advantage of Lavi. Had Allen done something or said something that made Lavi confused or something?

Knowing now that his feelings had been reimbursed-at least in some form-Allen cursed himself for not noticing sooner. The way Lavi seemed to get nervous when they were alone and why he was always blushing…it began to make sense now.

"Dammit, Lavi!" He groaned, hiding his face in his hands. His handle on the whole situation was beginning to spiral out of control.

Why Lavi? Why did he have to fall in love with one of his students?

Well, he knew why. Lavi Bookman was incredibly smart, funny, and intriguing. Everything about him captivated Allen to the point where it was maddening.

He could practically hear Cross laughing at him in his head.

Allen raised his face back up to the door. His traitorous heart told him sternly to go out there and find Lavi and explain to him exactly how he felt. His brain-ever the sensible one-screamed for Allen to remain where he was, pretend it didn't happen, and hopefully after a while the feelings would die down unless Allen wanted to spend a couple of weeks sitting in a courtroom explaining to a bunch of disdainful lawyers and skeptic jurors exactly what had transpired between them.

_What do I do now_?

...

_Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!_

Lavi ran through the empty halls, fighting the tears threatening to fall over his eyes. He readjusted the bag on his shoulder that suddenly felt ten times heavier than it had been this morning.

_I _knew_ he didn't like me that way and I _still_ went for it! Why the hell did I have to be brave? There's no way Allen will want to be alone with me now! Dammit! I'm so STUPID!_

Lavi pulled his bag closer to him as he pushed opened the front door of the school, feeling the sting of the cold air snap at his cheeks. He ran down the stone steps, nearly slipping on the excessive ice as he skipped the last one. Without a glance behind him, he headed in the direction of his home. He wanted to jump in his bed and hide from the world for the rest of his life.

How would he ever face Mr. Walker again on Monday? Maybe he would forget over the weekend. Oh, who was he kidding?

The snow continued to drift down from the dark grey sky. Lavi just had the ominous feeling that a storm was approaching. And he wasn't just speaking about the weather. He grimaced at the snow-covered ground, cursing violently in his head.

He didn't know what he had been thinking when he leaned in and tried to kiss his English teacher. They had been talking. Everything was normal. Then their eyes met and Lavi felt so warm all of the sudden. Before he could stop himself he was moving closer and closer to the pair of lips he had dreamed about. For a shining, fleeting moment, Lavi thought Allen might actually go for it.

Of course Allen didn't like him back.

Of course he wasn't in to him the way Lavi was in to him.

He was just being nice. He was just helping out a student. In Allen's eyes, Lavi was just a dumb kid that he felt sorry for so he tried to help. He was nothing more to him than a stray dog out in the rain.

Lavi wiped at his eyes furiously. He hadn't cried in years and he wasn't about to start now. He wasn't going to let himself fall apart over something so...he didn't even know what to call it. Absurd? Idiotic? Surreal? Anything but logical, that was for sure.

Why couldn't Lavi just continue on hating the bastard? He was bossy, pompous, and _too_ nice. The way he always smiled patiently even when Lavi would be completely unreasonable and disrespectful made Lavi's temper spark. And then the idiot had to go and suggest these "remedial lessons" where it was just the two of them alone in a confined space working inches from each other's faces. The whole time Allen smiled and gave Lavi these little compliments that probably meant nothing. But to Lavi, they were everything.

It didn't make any sense as to why Lavi had grown so fond of Allen Walker. Had he seriously been falling for him this whole time?

"Hey! Bookman! Are you crying?!"

Lavi recognized the voice before he even turned around. He gritted his teeth. "Mikk!"

Tyki Mikk grinned at him maliciously still wearing his baseball uniform. Practice must have just let out. Great. This was NOT the time for Lavi to be dealing with Mikk's smart mouth. He was already upset. The only thing keeping Lavi from tackling the boy to the ground was Allen's words earlier, about Lavi being better than to stoop to his level. As much as he wanted to, Lavi wouldn't do anything brash this time. Tyki eyed him suspiciously. "Holy shit, you _are_! What's wrong? Your little boyfriend break up with you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lavi spat.

"Please! I know what you and Mr. Walker are up to! I know that you've both been sneaking around and doing god-knows-what! I mean, I knew you were a fag but I never really expected Mr. Walker to be such a pedophile!"

"Shut your mouth!" Lavi shouted. "You have no idea what you're talking about! Mr. Walker has been giving me _remedial_ lessons, asshole! You know, cuz I'm failing!"

"No. It's more than that! You freaks have definitely got something going on! Anyways, that's not really why I'm here!"

"Then why _are_ you here?" Lavi glared. His arms shook from the effort of restraining his hands to squeeze into fists. He mustn't. He can't.

Tyki wore a sinister smile. He held up a gleaming bat from the school gymnasium and brandished it threateningly. "I'm getting _really_ sick of you always trying to play the hero, Bookman! Now, what's it going to take to get you to keep quiet?"

* * *

**Tyki NO~! Don't hurt his face! ;_; Next chapter's coming soon! Language, violence, and a very pissed off Allen (understandably). Thanks again for all these FFRs! I'm typing as fast as my fingers will let me, I promise you! On a completely unrelated topic, today's my birthday! I'm spending it in an airport but I really wanted to update today! So yay! On to the next! -N**


	8. Chapter 8

Allen was driving home after a long day of work through the foggy streets and dense clouds. His thoughts were still swarming around the confusing boy that had tried to kiss him. He still wasn't sure what to make of it. All he knew was that Lavi was entirely too embarrassed to be able to talk about it, at least for now. He had decided that the best thing to do was to let the redhead have some space too clear his head and think. He must be horribly confused.

Allen could wait until Monday. He wouldn't hide from Lavi. He was too selfish for that. But he wasn't going to push the boy, either. If Lavi came to school Monday acting like nothing had happened-which Allen was almost positive that he would-then Allen would do the same. He was going to continue to be there for Lavi no matter what.

As he gazed up at the looming, dark sky, he worried prayed that Lavi had at least made it home. Thunder boomed in the distance, signaling the oncoming storm. With the roads already a bit iced over, this wintery blast of weather was certain to due a number on the city.

Sighing, Allen turned. He normally never took the route he was on now, but something told him to take the long way home. He watched the empty road dully, thinking of Lavi. He found it amazing how the redhead had managed to appear in each and every one of Allen's thoughts. So apparent had the boy become in his head that Allen thought he was beginning to actually _see_ Lavi wherever he went.

In fact, he saw him right now, standing with his back against the wall of an empty building.

_Wait a minute...is that...?_

Allen realized with a start that he really _did_ see Lavi. There was someone else there, too. Allen strained to see who it was through his rain-stained windshield. Was that…Tyki Mikk? And did he have a baseball bat? What on earth was-?!

Realization dawning on him like the lightning that flashed above, Allen slammed on the brakes and burst from his car at once. Tyki was flourishing the bat like he was having the time of his life. Lavi was slumped against the wall, no longer able to support himself on his feet. A streak of blood ran down the boy's face. His beautiful face was bruised. He was holding his arm tentatively with a painful expression. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling heavily.

Tyki reached over and grabbed Lavi's hair. Lavi let out a cry of pain as Tyki hit him across the face, letting Lavi drop to the ground. Allen shouted out before tackling Tyki to the frozen cement. The bat fell from the surprised student's hand, clanging to the sidewalk loudly. Allen grabbed the front of Tyki's jacket before slamming his forehead into the bully's. Tyki wailed, holding his forehead and now rebroken nose as he rolled around.

Allen didn't say a word as he ran for Lavi's unmoving body. "Lavi!" he cried, taking the younger boy in his arms. "Lavi!" Fear protruded through Allen's body. What if he was too late? Oh, why didn't he chase after Lavi in the first place? Tears he didn't know were forming slid down his cheeks.

He would never forgive himself if Lavi was hurt because of Allen's negligence.

"I knew it was you." Lavi's slurred voice reached his ears, sending Allen into a relieved state of joy.

"Oh, Lavi. Oh, thank God!" He held Lavi close to him, pulling the weak teen into a warm embrace. Lavi hid his face in Allen's chest. Allen reveled in the feeling. "You're okay!"

Lavi winced as he sat up, holding his head. "I feel like shit, though. How did you find me?"

"I didn't mean to." Allen admitted. "I was driving home and I saw…I saw…" he faltered. Lavi had been telling the truth the entire time. Tyki Mikk was a horrible person. "Why...didn't you fight back? Why didn't you try to defend yourself?"

Lavi dropped his gaze to the frozen ground with his mouth set in a firm line. "I...you...I didn't want you to think that I...I'm not a..."

"I'm so sorry, Lavi!" he cried, hugging Lavi again. He ran a hand down Lavi's wet hair, trembling with the intensity of his emotions.

"Why are you sorry?" Lavi blinked.

"I should have believed you. If I had, maybe this wouldn't have…you wouldn't have gotten hurt…"

Slowly, Lavi hugged him back. The feeling caused Allen's heart to soar. He tightened his grip on him almost possessively. He never wanted to let go of the hotheaded moron again. He felt embarrassed to be so teary-eyed and guilty for having such strong feelings towards Lavi, but at that moment, he found that he didn't give a damn. If Lavi was okay, then just holding him was enough.

"Bastard!" Tyki's voice split the moment. He stumbled up to his feet, holding his nose tenderly. His glasses were broken. There was a cut just underneath the mole below his eye. "You'll both pay for this! I knew you two were up to something! I can't wait to see the look on Komui's face when I—"

_CRACK!_

_..._

Lavi gaped at his English teacher, who had just punched one of his students square in the face. Allen Walker was currently shaking his head with a pitiless expression on his face. "I could have you arrested, you little brat!" Allen spat at the still boy as he rubbed his hand.

Lavi crept over to Allen's side hesitantly. "Damn…he's out cold. Or dead…"

"He'll be fine," Allen said tautly. "He deserves worse!"

Lavi frowned down at Tyki Mikk's unconscious form. What do they do with him? If that were Lavi lying on the ground, Tyki would tie him to the flagpole and leave him to the mercy of mother nature. He deserved nothing less. Lavi glared at Tyki, thinking of all the times Tyki had bullied someone and Lavi ended up taking the blame. There was nothing more he would like to do than to see Tyki get his just desserts, but...at the same time...

"Thought I'm sure this will come back to haunt us soon enough," Allen sighed as he examined his hand, which was turning red. Allen had a hell of a punch. Lavi made a quick mental note to never piss off his English teacher. With an arm like that, Allen should have considered a boxing career. An image of Allen in a ring with thick red gloves on fluttered into Lavi's head. Okay...maybe not boxing...

A rain drop fell on Lavi's bloody cheek. He looked up to see the darkening sky spinning ferociously. He suddenly became very light-headed. Stumbling back, the shock was beginning to wear off and the pain was beginning to settle in. Allen placed a hand on his shoulder worriedly. His touch only succeeded in making Lavi feel even dizzier. He lost his balance and fell against Allen, who caught him at once with a shout. "Lavi!" he cried.

"I'm okay," he whispered in a voice that didn't entirely sound like him. It was weak.

Allen's eyes were hard and soft at the same time. "No, you're not. Let me help you."

_All you do is help me…_

Allen pulled Lavi up gently. The action still caused Lavi's side to ache painfully. He clutched it and cringed, falling into Allen's arms uselessly. Allen placed his hands on Lavi's arms. Lavi could feel Allen's breath hitting his cheek. He pulled back enough to look into Allen's eyes. They were as grey as the gathering storm clouds above them. If Lavi didn't know any better, he would have thought that Allen was blushing. Perhaps it was just from the cold weather or the heat of the moment.

Allen broke the eye contact and ushered Lavi to his feet. Holding onto Allen's supporting arm, Lavi's sight rested on Tyki. "We can't just leave him here," Lavi said finally in a serious voice.

"What?" Allen asked him with eyebrows raised.

'We can't leave Tyki out injured in the middle of a storm."

"Then what should we do with him?" Allen's voice was unforgiving. Lavi had never seen this side of Allen, who in his mind was a sweet, kind, and caring person. This dark tint in his eyes made Lavi wonder if he actually knew the real Allen Walker or not. The thought scared him a bit.

"Let's...let's at least just...call someone?" Lavi suggested carefully. Allen glanced at him. His cold demeanor lifted at once, as if he had sensed Lavi's discomfort.

Allen reached out and touched Lavi's cheek, sending tremors down Lavi's spine. Lavi closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. His heart was already forgetting to do its job. "Of course," Allen said. His attention turned across the street. "I'll do us one better. Can you help me lift him?"

"I think so." Lavi nodded, but as he bent down his side ached in protest of the slight movement. He winced, hoping the future doctor hadn't noticed, but he had.

Allen set his hands on Lavi's shoulders, steadying him. As Lavi raised his head and gazed into Allen's eyes, he cursed the oblivious Brit. Didn't he have any idea what his touch was doing to him? Lavi was so confused. First he was rejected by Allen and now Allen was acting all parental and caring. He kept touching Lavi, too. They were innocent touches, those out of concern and fear but they were enough to make Lavi's heart shudder. "You okay?" Allen asked. Lavi just nodded. He was too breathless to answer. Allen seemed to think it was from the pain. "All right. You just come with me."

Before he knew it, Lavi was lying in the backseat of Allen Walker's car with his teacher's long coat around him. Lavi bit back a groan of pain. "I'll be right back!" Allen promised. "Just stay here! Keep the doors locked and the heat up! I'm going to take care of Tyki."

"No, Allen, wait!" Lavi cried fruitlessly. Allen closed the door before Lavi had a chance to say anything. He shuddered as he lay across the car seat with Allen's coat draped around his trembling body. The last thing Lavi wanted was to be alone right now, but he knew Allen wasn't the type of person at heart that would leave someone behind in such a helpless manner, no matter how deserving the person was.

Lavi wasn't entirely sure how bad of a state his body was in. He had taken quite a beating from Tyki, but it could have been so much worse. He just remembered hearing Allen's voice in his ear, whispering his name.

All he knew was his forehead, his side, and his arm hurt. Badly.

Nearly ten minutes had passed. The storm began to pick up. Lavi strained himself to lift his head and glance out the window. He could only see white. The wind snapped at the car. A chill covered Lavi until his teeth chattered. He pulled Allen's coat closer to him, allowing the scent of vanilla to wash away his worries.

_Allen's fine...he's okay...he's okay..._

Suddenly, the driver's door opened and a head of hair as white as the snow appeared. "Bloody cold!" Allen Walker gasped as he slammed the door closed. Lavi felt relief warm his body. "Where's Tyki?"

"I carried him into the fire station down the street. He's safe there. They'll contact the proper medical authorities. I told them that I had to get back to my son and they let me go without questioning me at all."

"Y-your son?"

"It was the only thing I could think of."

Lavi tried to sit upright, but his wounds prevented him from moving much. Allen's grey eyes flashed in the rear-view mirror and his expression toughened again. "I'm taking you to the hospital!" Allen called over his shoulder authoritatively.

"No!" Lavi shot up, ignoring the pain and placing a hand on Allen's seat. "No hospitals! Please…my grandfather…would kill me. I'm not exaggerating."

Allen gave him a berating look.

"I'm serious!" he added. "Please, Allen..."

Allen sighed but looked defeated. "Fine, fine. Then we're going to my place. I'm a med student, after all. I'll be able to treat your wounds there."

Lavi felt a nervous twinge at going to his teacher's home, but he didn't protest. Turns out, Allen lived just around the block in a nice, expensive-looking flat. "You live _here_?" Lavi gasped.

"My…mentor pays for it."

"Who is your mentor? The President?"

"No, a dean."

"Your dean?!"

"Yes, my dean."

Lavi took in a deep breath. "Oh."

Allen practically carried Lavi inside. As soon as they made it in, a large boom of thunder shook overhead. A mixture of rain and snow began pelting the windows roughly. Wind pushed past the structure, sending a chilling howl through the air that left Lavi feeling a little disgruntled and afraid. Allen closed the door behind him and twisted the lock, adding to Lavi's discomfort.

Suddenly, a large golden dog bounded over to Lavi, who cried out in surprise as the dog lunged at him with his tongue hanging out goofily. "Down, Timcanpy!" Allen scolded, grabbing ahold of the wriggling dog's collar. "Sorry," he muttered as he struggled to keep Timcanpy under control. "I'm sort of dog-sitting at the moment."

"It's...fine..." Lavi nearly whispered as he watched Timcanpy, who wagged his tail affectionately at him. Lavi bent down and patted him on the head.

As he looked around at his teacher's artistically fashioned living room, a new wave of vertigo struck him. He wobbled on his feet before Allen caught him with one hand on Lavi's shoulder and the other on his waist gently. "Careful." Allen's soft voice cooed in his suddenly sensitive ear. "Let me help."

...

Lavi sat up on Allen's kitchen counter, looking ahead determinedly as he tried not to think about how Allen's face was inches from his own as he cleaned the blood off it with a warm rag. He also tried not to think about how he was currently shirtless. Instead, he watched as Timcanpy slept in a dog bed that was two sizes too small for him.

Allen placed some disinfectant on the open wound on Lavi's head. Lavi gasped, leaning out of Allen's reach, but Allen grabbed his neck and pulled him back. "Don't move," he whispered, distracted by his work.

Lavi blushed heavily, and then blushed even more because he was blushing. Allen put a bandage over the spot on his forehead and stepped back to admire his handiwork. "There. Now let's take a look at that bruise on your side."

When Allen's cold fingers touched his tender skin, Lavi had to bite his cheek to hold back his gasp. He began to wonder what it would feel like if those hands were touching other parts of his body. Then he mentally kicked himself for thinking such things.

Allen's hand continued to all but grope his chest and back, feeling for any signs of a broken bone. Lavi held his breath the entire time. Whenever Allen pressed against the particularly injured spot on his side, a pained cry left his mouth. Lavi hated himself as the whimper had trailed off in a high-pitched manner with hints of suppressed pleasure.

Allen finally stopped and smiled tantalizingly at Lavi. "I don't think anything is broken, just a few bruises and that nasty gash on your forehead. It'll heal up in no time."

Lavi thanked him, now watching the way Allen's soft lips pulled into a smile.

"Don't thank me. I should be the one that's sorry," he whispered, placing a hand on Lavi's shoulder. Lavi flushed at the contact. Allen was watching him with serious, calculative eyes.

"Y-you?" Lavi managed to choke out. The weight of his feelings was beginning to shred his sanity to bits.

Allen nodded, his smile gone. "I should have listened to you. I shouldn't have let you leave alone like you did. I should have gone after you. I care for you too much, Lavi."

Lavi's heart squeezed tightly. "You do?"

Allen softened. "I really do. And I mean that, Lavi. There's just something about you. I don't know what it is exactly, but it pulls me closer and closer to you. I feel like…like I might…"

"Might what?"

Allen's grey eyes pierced his soul. "You know what."

They fell silent.

Their eyes bore into one another's.

Lavi felt that heated, electric feeling again.

Lavi slowly, afraid that he would get pushed away again, reached up and touched Allen's scar. Allen didn't say anything nor did he stop him. Lavi took that as a good sign and raised his other hand to cup the other cheek. He began to trace Allen's features, pushing back the white bangs to look at him.

Allen's eyes fluttered closed, but allowed the touch.

Slowly, Allen moved closer. Lavi watched his lips as they parted slightly.

Lavi's heart pounded in his chest before he leaned in and claimed his lips to his own.

* * *

**FINALLYYY! That's all I have to say on this one. And as for the next chapter, you may want to bring a fan. It be hot in there. ;P Thanks of courseee to the lovely FFRs! Also, I'm currently out of the country so I maay not be able to update until next week sometime! (runs away) I'll see you soon~! -N**


	9. Chapter 9

**Head's up! This chapter contains some pretty explicit stuff. If that's not your cup of tea, turn back now! **

* * *

Their lips touched.

A soaring, releasing feeling soared through Lavi. _Finally,_ his brain chanted. He moved into the kiss, feeling Allen Walker's arms tightening around him. The weeks spent denying the feelings swarming for the white-haired Brit came crashing down the instant their skin touched. It started out innocent enough; both of them were adjusting to the change of their relationship. Soon, Lavi found himself wanting more contact. With shaking hands, he grabbed the front of Allen's shirt and pulled him closer.

Allen broke away with a gasp. "I'm so sorry, Lavi!" He blushed. "I didn't mean...I mean-I didn't...ah, let's see...um..."

A smug grin appeared on Lavi's face. "Hey, Teach?"

The very embarrassed Allen Walker peered up him. "Y-yeah?"

"Shut up, will you?"

They kissed again and again. Their breaths turned into pants. "A-Allen..." he moaned into his teacher's mouth.

"Wa-wait!" Allen pulled away again, looking horribly embarrassed. "Wait a second! I...uh..."

"What is it?"

"I...uh...just want you to know that I'm not the type of person that-uh-you know...I mean I..." Allen fumbled with his words, looking a bit like a child as he did. It struck Lavi dumb for a few moments. Allen acted so responsible and polite that Lavi often saw him as older than he really was. Really, Allen was just a naive kid once he thought it through. This softer, more relaxed Allen was definitely much preferred to the stuffy act he put on in the classroom. Lavi relaxed into a smile. His eyes were at half-mast with a look of the patience that Allen had slowly taught him.

"U-um, why are you looking at me l-like...that...?" Allen gulped nervously. His eyes darted from side to side, refusing to meet Lavi's gaze. "Am I...talking too much?"

To that, Lavi laughed. "Well, a bit much for my taste." _Especially considering what I'd _rather_ be doing._ "But...it's fine."

Allen shuddered. Lavi blinked at him as he leaned in closer. "How do you do that?" Allen whispered innately.

"Um...do what exactly?"

Allen's lips trailed across his forehead. "If you don't know then I've failed as a teacher."

"Don't take it personally. I'm just a bad student."

Now Allen's lips were at his cheek. "Don't say that. You're unbearably smart. And amiable and charismatic and...and a bit crass at times, but amazing nonetheless."

Lavi moved closer to Allen, twisting at an awkward angle on the hard marble counter-top as Allen's words registered in his head. Did the Brit actually think that highly of him? It was stupid. Lavi was just Lavi. But Allen...Allen was...

"Stupid," Lavi whispered, gasping as Allen's lips reached his jaw. "You're so stupid...Allen..."

Allen smiled before his mouth moved down to Lavi's exposed neck. Lavi gasped and leaned into his touch. He felt so light, so alive, so awake. His heart drummed in his ears as their chests pushed together. When they broke apart, they were gasping for air and was a dark tint in both of their eyes.

Their chaste kisses were quickly melting away as flames began to lick at Lavi's steadily decreasing state of mind. He initiated another kiss, although it was more like a desperate attempt to gravitate closer to him. Allen's hands were tangling in Lavi's hair. Lavi paused for a moment to wonder if he had strayed into one of his late night fantasies. When Allen bit playfully at Lavi's lower lip, he enjoyably leaned into the confirmed reality.

Lavi let out a noise that made him kick himself for how girly it sounded. He pulled Allen closer to him and moaned, "P-please, Allen!"

Allen's resolve dissolved away as their mouths reconnected once more. Lavi moved his mouth down to his jaw, trailing his tongue down his throat. A low growl came from it, sending a tingling feeling down his spine and straight between his legs. "Please…" he kept saying. He didn't even know what he was really begging for. He just wanted _more_.

"Lavi…" Allen's voice was lower.

Lavi's inexperience was evident against Allen's steady hand. He felt a rush of embarrassment. Maybe Allen wasn't as innocent as he had originally thought...

Lavi's hands tore at Allen's shirt pleadingly. Allen took it off, biting his lip as Lavi ran his hands down his exposed chest. Lavi's fingers lingered on the marred skin of Allen's left arm. Allen suddenly grew very shy. "I-If you want...I can...put the shirt-ah-back on..." he muttered. Lavi hadn't meant to make Allen uncomfortable by staring at the scarring. It was just a lot to take in.

A sad look overcame Lavi as he gazed into Allen's face, where a long scar was carved into his otherwise pure skin. Something horrible must have happened to him. Lavi realized then that he didn't really know much at all about Allen Walker. He just knew that he wanted to be with him in any and every way. Lavi smiled softly and ran his hand down Allen's left arm. He kissed Allen's shoulder carefully, trying to show him that his scars meant nothing to him.

"L-Lavi?" Allen gasped.

"You're talking too much again, Teach!" Lavi sighed impatiently, straightening up to reclaim Allen's lips. Knowing the white-haired boy would be far to bashful to go any further without a very clear hint, Lavi inched his leg carefully and slowly up until his knee parted Allen's legs.

Allen's entire face turned red as he grasped the severity of their situation. Lavi smirked deviously at Allen's surprised look. He could never pass up an opportunity to make that cute face blush.

Taking advantage of the lapse of Allen's motions, Lavi gave his knee a little nudge and kissed Allen forcefully. Allen responded at once, somewhat surprising Lavi. When they broke apart, Allen whispered, "You're the devil, Lavi Bookman."

"Oh, shut up."

Lavi didn't know how long they were in the kitchen just kissing, but soon it wasn't enough. Lavi knew in that instant that everything, his entire life, would change after this night. The thought scared him a little, as just a few months ago he didn't even know or care who Allen Walker was.

"If you want to stop," Lavi whispered, "tell me now."

Allen gritted his teeth and shook his head crazily. "N-no! No, don't stop! Please!"

Lavi grinned wickedly. "Then may I suggest a more comfortable location?"

Allen nodded wildly and Lavi allowed himself to be guided by the older male. Their lips never separated as they maneuvered through the apartment, crashing into the wall several times and tripping over one another clumsily before finally making it to the bedroom. Lavi hit the mattress with Allen following him fluidly.

Allen sucked at his neck again. Lavi groaned and pushed into Allen's hips impatiently. Allen froze and gasped, biting on his cheek sharply.

Lavi's hands pulled at Allen's belt pleadingly. His eyes were glazed over in pleasure. Allen removed the clothing clumsily as Lavi mirrored him and took off his own pants. They turned to another in nothing but their boxers. A heavy blush appeared on Lavi's cheeks as he gazed into the eyes of his older lover nervously. His hands shook at his sides. Allen leaned in and kissed him gently, sensing Lavi's hesitation.

"H-have you…?" Allen trailed off breathlessly.

Lavi shook his head. "N-never."

Allen looked slightly relieved and embarrassed simultaneously. "Me neither."

Lavi found that hard to believe and easy to believe at the same time. Allen always acted as innocent as a kitten. But, then again...he was twenty. "Never ever?" Lavi raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing like this. I've never gone all the way," Allen responded. "But...we'll just...figure it out as we go along?"

Lavi nodded nervously. For a moment, they sat there, second guessing the situation. But Lavi refused to back out of this. He was too stubborn for that. He pulled Allen into a kiss and slowly things began to melt apart again. Lavi's jaw slackened as his lover-was it all right to call him that?-licked at the crook of his neck. When they pressed against one another they let out simultaneous groans of gratification.

With a sharp breath, Lavi flipped them around so that he was now floating above Allen, who had a surprised look on his flushed face. He opened his mouth to protest but Lavi silenced him with a desperate kiss, stealing away the words right from his lips. When he pulled away, Allen no longer looked like he wanted to argue, instead he pulled Lavi closer.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lavi whispered. He didn't think he'd be able to stop. Thankfully, Allen's head nodded furiously.

"P-please don't stop…" Allen pleaded. "Please…"

Lavi loved the noises he was making. They spurred him on to an almost dangerous level. The remaining articles of clothing disappeared after than seemed physically possible. Or maybe it had taken a while. Lavi's sense of time was getting all screwed up as Allen kissed him distractingly. Allen reached over to his nightstand and dug in one of the drawers hurriedly. He pulled out a jar of Vaseline. He thrust it into Lavi's hands with a dark blush. "U-um...for...you know..." he mumbled. Lavi gulped and nodded anxiously.

After fumbling a bit, Lavi pressed a finger into him. Allen gasped at the sudden, unfamiliar intrusion as Lavi prepared him. He grabbed his shoulders and clung onto him for dear life. "A-ah!" he whimpered. "Lavi…I…"

As Lavi pulled away his fingers and began to ease into him, Allen cried out, nails digging into Lavi's shoulders painfully. Lavi stopped midway and pulled Allen's face up toward him. He wiped away the tears streaming down his face, giving him butterfly kisses. "I'm sorry," Lavi whispered, feeling horrible. "A-are you okay? Do you want me to stop?"

Allen shook his head, trembling. "N-no!" he gasped. Lavi winced as his back was subjected to Lavi's nails tearing down his back and leaving behind scratches that would no doubt be there for a few weeks. He remained still until Allen's body adjusted, kissing every inch of him he could reach.

"Lavi…" Allen groaned.

Slowly, Lavi moved out of him and slid back in slowly. Allen gasped, cringing as a few more tears slid down his cheeks. Lavi repeated the action as gently as he could then again. After a few moments, he became aware that Allen was whispering something inaudible. He listened as Allen said it a little louder.

"Wh-what?" Lavi gasped.

He panted. "H-harder! Harder, Lavi! Please…"

Lavi was surprised but pleasantly. He groaned and began to push into Allen a little firmer. "God, Teach!" he sighed.

Allen's voice swooned but he bit Lavi's shoulder for calling him "Teach." Lavi caught on and began shouting "TEACH! TEACH!" as loud as he could.

"J-jackass..." Allen let out as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Allen would never, despite all his efforts, be able to completely rid him of that rebellious spark.

And Lavi thought maybe Allen would live with that.

"L-Lavi!" Allen groaned, seizing up suddenly and surrendering to his own body. Upon the sight of seeing the gorgeous boy beneath him succumb to the wave of euphoria, Lavi came at once, his teacher's name passing his lips in a surreal gasp.

He held himself up on his shaking elbows, struggling with the effort not to crush the panting angel beneath him. He bent down and pressed his lips against Allen's in a soft confirmation of what just happened. He collapsed on the empty space beside him. Allen pulled Lavi closer and curled into him, burying his face in Lavi's chest. Lavi's hand traced Allen's spine and kissed his head lovingly. "Allen?" Lavi's small voice sounded tired and soft.

"Hm?" He nuzzled him and breathed in deeply.

"I…" he whispered, then silenced and hid his face.

"Hey. What is it? Spit it out, Bookman."

Lavi looked at him; his beautiful grey eyes were full of an emotion Lavi had never seen before. It was amazing. In a daze, Lavi let out the words he had been dying to say for weeks. "I…I think I love you."

Allen blinked. He was too stunned to speak. Lavi misunderstood Allen's silence as rejection. His face turned red and embarrassed tears filled his eyes. He turned around and pulled the pillow around his face. Allen pulled it away with a small laugh, trying to wipe away Lavi's tears and insecurities. "Whoa, whoa! Lavi! Hey…look at me. You just caught me off guard is all! I never thought that you could possibly love me as much as I love you!"

Lavi opened his eyes. "Wh-what?"

"You can be such a kid sometimes." Allen smiled and cupped his cheeks. "I love you, Lavi Bookman. I don't know why, or how, but I feel like no matter what…I would have fallen in love with you. In another life, another world…doesn't matter. I would still have met you. And I still would have fallen in love with you."

Lavi's lips twitched into a smile. "I know it's strange but…I feel the same way. I love you, too."

They kissed again, both of them knowing just how much trouble they were in but neither of them caring.

Allen winced as he readjusted himself on the bed. Lavi cuddled him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "How are you feeling? I didn't…push you too hard, did I?"

Allen shook his head. "No. It was…more painful than I thought it would be but…each time it gets a little easier."

Lavi smirked. "So there'll be a next time?"

Allen laughed, leaning in and kissing his lover passionately. "If you do your homework."

Lavi wrinkled his nose with an adorable pout. "Like that'll happen!" he sniggered and dodged Allen's lazy attempt to hit him. He placed one last kiss on Allen's lips before Allen thrust the blankets over them both and wrapped his arms around Lavi's waist. Lavi copied him and made sure their foreheads were touching as they drifted off to only dream about the other.

* * *

**Did everyone bring their fans? This chapter was nothing but lemon but it was overdue, yes? And Anyways, thanks so much for the FFRs (80 reviews already as I'm writing this! Crazy! :P) now the real story can begin! So I'll see you in a few days! -N  
**


	10. Chapter 10

When Allen woke up, he was instantly met with a searing ache in his backside. He scrunched up his face in pain, burrowing his face in the familiar linens of a sweet-smelling bed. Then he felt warm arms wrap around him possessively and the memories of last night flooded his sleep-filled head. A twisted smile appeared on his face as he curled into his touch. A pair of soft lips pressed against the temple of his head. His smile grew.

"Good morning," a voice next to him murmured.

Allen chuckled, turning around slowly to smile at the amazing, albeit younger, man lying next to him. "Morning," he said. Their lips met.

"You sleep well?" Allen asked.

"What time is it?"

"A little after ten."

"Then I slept _very_ well!" Lavi smirked. They kissed a second time.

Allen laughed. "I know. You were out like a light. I woke up a bit ago and was going to grab us some food but I couldn't pry you away from me! You were clinging onto me like a baby."

Lavi blushed horribly. He gritted his teeth. "J-jerk! I was _not_!"

Allen laughed again. Lavi scowled stubbornly, then suddenly his stubbornness melted away into concern. "Oh, by the way, are you...um...okay?"

Allen gave him a soft smile. "I'm just fine. Better than fine. What about you? Are _you_ okay?"

"Please. I'm a big boy, Mr. Walker!" Lavi grinned, pinning Allen to the sheets. Allen flushed at their closeness. He was still a bit taken aback to find Lavi Bookman in his bed on a Saturday morning, but somehow, it almost felt like this had been happening for years and years. They were so open with each other, so unafraid. "I can handle it!"

"I never doubted it." They kissed a third time.

"And it's not like I didn't want it, too," Lavi whispered tauntingly in his ear.

"You don't have to tell me!" Allen grinned. "The whole neighborhood must have heard you!"

Lavi became red from his neck to the tip of his ears. "You weren't as quiet as you think you were, either!"

Allen just laughed. A fourth kiss. Then he pressed his lips to Lavi's ear and whispered, "Is that any way to talk to your teacher?"

"Is this any way to behave with a student?"

He had him there. Allen laughed. "Touché, my wise pupil!"

Lavi sighed, pressing his forehead against Allen's. "Can we just…not bring up the fact that I have to see you on Monday morning and spend the whole day keeping my hands to myself?"

Allen laughed again. A fifth kiss. "It's going to be harder for me. You can pretend to be asleep. I have to stare at you all day."

"I feel like you have the better end of the deal. You're going to assign me homework."

"What if I don't?"

"If you don't?" Lavi smirked dirtily, a finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Well, then, I suppose…I'd be open to another study session."

"Oh, a study session, is it?"

"Yes. I need some in depth tutoring in some heavier, more mature subjects!" Lavi's smart mouth ran. "Any ideas for a tutor?"

Allen was already feeling a little flushed. "What about your homeroom teacher?" He played along, blinking innocently. "He's smart."

Lavi rolled his eyes, moving to straddle him. Allen gazed up into his startling green eye and a curiosity overcame him to reach up and take off that eye patch that Lavi sported at all occasions. It wasn't really fair since Lavi had seen both Allen's eye and arm but Allen wouldn't push it. In a way, he understood. "Oh, he's a bit of a jerk. He always tells me what to do."

Allen glared at him. He was beginning to wonder how he had ever fallen in love with such an idiot. "He does, does he?"

Lavi nodded. "He always pushes me and drives me to do my best. It's annoying as hell! He forces all this extra work on me and makes me stay late in class. He's always shoving work down my throat! But…he always believed in me. No matter what. Even when things looked really bad…he believed in me. And that was something I never had before. He did more than save my grade…he sort of saved me. He made me believe in myself, too. And he made me believe in him, too."

Allen was watching him with an unreadable expression on his face. Then he was on Lavi like there was no tomorrow. He had shot up, grabbed Lavi, and began kissing him impatiently. Lavi clasped his arms around him tightly, kissing back with just as much passion. He tasted the lust on Lavi's tongue, which began to spread to other parts of his own body.

...

Suddenly, a sharp ring echoed through the bedroom. The pair snapped from their lusty reverie. Lavi recognized the tone as his own. "Shit!" he cursed, prying himself away from Allen and trying desperately to locate his pants. "Pants?" he asked Allen.

"Um…I think I threw them over there?" Allen blushed embarrassedly. Lavi located them by the bathroom door and pulled out his still-ringing phone. Lavi cursed every god he could think of when he saw that it was his grandfather calling.

"It's my grandfather! Damn it, I never came home last night! He must be freaking out!" Lavi quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"LAVI BOOKMAN JR.! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! STAYING OUT ALL NIGHT! MIDDLE OF A STORM! NOT A SINGLE CALL! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Lavi had to hold his phone away from his ear to avoid going deaf. He cautiously placed the phone back to his ear before making up something on the spot. "I-I crashed at Kanda's. We were studying for this English test and I just fell asleep on his couch. I'm sorry. I should have called ahead."

His grandfather sighed. "Well, you _are_ seventeen now so you should be becoming more independent. Still, how hard is it to lift the phone and give me a head's up?"

"Sorry, Panda," Lavi winced. "You don't need to worry. I'll be home later tonight, okay?"

His grandfather sighed again. "All right, all right! Have fun. You're lucky it's the weekend or I'd kick your ass!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Lavi was relieved he was off the hook.

"Oh and, by the way, when you get home…you are _so_ grounded."

Lavi gaped. "What?! I'm seventeen, gramps! You can't just—!"

"Can and did! That'll teach you to worry an old man!"

Lavi groaned. "Fine, fine. Whatever. See you when I get home." He hung up impatiently, glancing embarrassedly at the naked man in the bed behind him.

Allen smiled softly. "Panda?" he questioned.

"Just a nickname," Lavi sighed. "Man, he was so pissed."

"Yeah, I could hear him from here."

Lavi smirked. He grabbed a fallen pillow and threw it at Allen's face. "You got me grounded, you jerk!"

Allen broke into laughter. "Sometimes I forget that you're still a kid."

"Does that bother you?"

"We're only three years apart," Allen reminded him. "Does that bother _you_?"

Lavi shook his head with a smile. "I know girls in my grade that have done worse with larger age gaps."

Allen wrinkled his nose. "I sort of wish you hadn't told me that."

Lavi simpered. He looked down at their hands, in awe of the way they twined together so perfectly. "So…how long do I have you for?" Allen asked with a sly look.

"Well…" Lavi said thoughtfully. "I'll already be grounded for at least a week. Maybe two. That means we won't see each other outside of school for a bit. So might as well make today count."

"My thoughts exactly," Allen whispered. He reached over and kissed Lavi passionately.

...

Allen drove Lavi home a little after four. He was a little more than hesitant to give the redhead up, but Lavi promised that he would text him often. Accepting that, Allen watched Lavi walk up the porch steps. Before Lavi disappeared behind the front door, he turned around and waved goodbye. Allen smiled and returned the wave before pulling out of the driveway and driving back towards his empty home.

He thought about Lavi the whole way home.

He began to wonder who the older one really was. Lavi somehow managed to act twice his age and half it at the same time. Allen seemed to be stuck at the awkward ages of the early teens as far as his personality would go. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so comfortable around someone. Ever since Mana died, he had been too afraid to allow himself to become attached again. But then Lavi came along...

He couldn't keep the smile off of his face. What had come over him? One minute he was proofreading his student's paper and the next he was making out with him in his kitchen!

The weekend was threatening to be a long one.

Allen had never wished for Monday harder before in his life.

All thanks to that curious little rabbit that had hopped carelessly into his life and disrupted his entire plan he had so sensibly mapped out.

As Allen returned to his empty home, he felt a familiar buzz coming from his pocket. He took out his cellphone and saw he had a text from an unfamiliar number.

**_It's Lavi. Did you make it home yet?_**

Allen grinned, quickly saving the number to his contact list before replying hastily. **_Just made it through the door. Did that Panda of yours give you a rough time?_**

Barely a minute had passed when Lavi texted him back. **_Eh…he was actually pretty lenient. I think he thinks I was with a girl because he keeps asking me why I smell like vanilla with this big smile on his face…_**

Allen smiled. **_So when do I get to meet this lucky lady?_**

Buzz. **_Hmm…well, I guess I can take some time from my busy schedule to introduce you._**

**_Now you're just being cruel. …There's no lady, right?_**

**_Hahaha! Relax, Teach. I'm just messing._**

**_I knew that…kinda. And don't call me "Teach!" It's creepy!_**

**_…But I _like** **_calling you Teach. It has a nice ring to it._**

**_More like a jail sentence._**

**_Dude, my birthday is in, like, eight months. After that, we're golden._**

Allen paused, the smile disappearing from his face. Eight months. Did Lavi really want them to remain together for eight months? The thought filled Allen with so much joy that he wondered how it was even capable.

**_Good. I suppose it doesn't help that my own birthday is coming right up._**

**_When is it?_**

**_December 25._**

A pause.** _Christmas?! That's in…like…two weeks!_**

**_Don't remind me. I feel old enough already._**

**_Aww. Well, don't worry. I don't mind. ;P_**

Allen scoffed. **_I should hope not!_**

There was a few minutes cease of their conversation when suddenly he got a text back. **_Dammit. Gramps is being a pain. I'm gonna work on that paper so I'll talk to you later, okay?_**

**_All right. Work hard! Love you._**

**_Love you too!_**

Allen dropped his phone with a heavy sigh.

His entire life was different than it had been just twenty-four hours ago.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he groaned.

...

Monday came slowly—too slowly. Lavi was up an hour before his alarm even rang. How was that possible?

He remained in bed, watching his ceiling with his arms behind his head. His cellphone was perched precariously on the edge of his bed, dark and silent. He had thought about waking up his English teacher early and talk to him for a bit before getting ready, but he decided against it. He didn't want to seem clingy and whatnot.

Instead, he pondered about the drastic changes his life had undergone in the past three months.

Had someone told him then that he would end up falling hopelessly, irrevocably in love with the prim and proper substitute teacher he would have punched them in the face. Who would blame him? But now, here he was, unable to sleep because he knew that in a few, short hours he would get to see Allen Walker again.

As time itched slowly at the gradually brightening sky, Lavi felt a buzz coming from his cellphone. Curiously, he lifted it to see that it was from Allen.

**_Two hour delay. Breakfast on me?_**

A smile played on his lips. He moved his thumbs without hesitation.

**_When and where?_**

* * *

**Can you feel the love yet?! :3 The next chapter or two is gonna be lots of fluff until the plot finally kicks back in. Bear with me on this! and 100 reviews?! WHAAAT! you guys are awesome! Thanks so much! But there's a lot more to come. I've got some big plans for this story! **

**Also, addressing another common question I've gotten. "Why is Allen older?" Well, mapping out the story I thought that Lavi made the more believable trouble-making one and Allen was definitely the more mature, caring, and polite one. Keeping them in character was more important to me than age. Sorry if that bums anyone out! It's just how my brain worked! **

**So, next chapter in a few days because I still have a goal to finish this before classes start. Let's do this! -N**


	11. Chapter 11

Lavi rushed to get ready; throwing on his school uniform arbitrarily and rounding up his things. He checked his hair a dozen times, trying to hide the deep cut on his forehead. His single green eye rested on a black and green bandana he'd forgotten he had and he grabbed it quickly. He put it on, letting his hair stick out crazily.

With an approving nod at his reflection, he darted down the stairs, nearly running into his grandfather. "Watch it, kid!" he grumbled. "Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"There's a two hour delay so Kanda and Krory and I are going to go grab some breakfast!"

His grandfather's mouth set in a firm line. He grabbed the back of Lavi's collar and pulled him back before Lavi had the chance to scurry away. "Did you forget something?"

Lavi glanced down. "Did I forget my pants again?"

"No, you moron! You're _grounded_!"

"Aw, come on, gramps!" Lavi protested. "Can't it start tomorrow? _Please_?! Cut me some slack, just this once! I promise I'll do whatever you want! Just let me go! Please! I—"

"OKAY, OKAY!" his grandfather shouted over Lavi's pleads. "If it gets your loud mouth out of this house then fine! You can go. Just this once."

Lavi beamed childishly before running for the door again. "Thanks, Panda! You're the best!"

"One more thing, Lavi!"

Lavi turned, hand already on the door, to look back at his grandfather, who winked at him and shot him a thumbs up. "Tell the pretty lady I said hello, okay?"

Lavi's eyes didn't match the nervous, plastic smile on his tense face. "Uhh…sure thing, Old Man."

...

"What took you so long?" was Allen Walker's greeting as Lavi ran up and doubled over, panting heavily. They chose to meet in the park; since it was so out of the way that it was highly unlikely that anyone from the school would see them. It was rather close to Allen's flat, but unfortunately Lavi had misjudged the distance between it and his own house.

"Shut up," came Lavi's breathless response.

Allen chuckled. "And since when do you wear bandanas?"

Lavi glared up at him. "Since I got a bat to the head."

"Ah, right. I'd almost forgotten about our little Mikk problem."

Lavi straightened up and looked at Allen. He was wearing black pants and a grey sweater covered by a long coat. A long, orange scarf was twirled around his neck, blowing in the harsh wind. "Since when do you wear scarfs?" he countered with a playful grin.

"Since it's been ten degrees outside!" Allen laughed.

Fair enough.

Glancing over his shoulder and seeing no one else around, Lavi took a step closer to Allen with a shy blush. "I missed you," he admitted quietly.

Allen smiled. "I missed you, too. And I have to admit, I sort of like your hair up that way."

It was Lavi's turn to smile. Allen took his hand quickly and said, "Come on. There's this little diner just down the block."

Lavi said nothing and allowed himself to be pulled by the older male that acted like he was still a child most of the time.

They talked about anything and everything during breakfast. Lavi honestly couldn't remember one word they had said, but he laughed and smiled the whole time. He had never thought he could find such comfort and joy in mere _words_.

To anyone else, Lavi was sure they would look like a pair of old friends or even a close couple. Lavi fell silent at the thought. What _were_ they exactly?

Lavi glanced up at Allen, who was stirring his hot chocolate absent-mindedly.

He decided that it didn't matter exactly what they were.

As long as nothing changed from this fairytale that Lavi was currently living.

...

After breakfast, they went back into the fierce, cold weather. Checking his watch, Allen announced that they should be getting to the school soon.

"I'll drive you," Allen offered the grinning redhead.

Lavi just stuck his tongue out in a childish manner. "Thanks, but no thanks, Teach! Won't it look strange for a teacher to arrive to school with one of his students in the passenger seat?"

Allen frowned. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Relax. I've walked to school in worse weather than this! I'll be fine!"

Allen sighed. "I know, but still…at least take this!" Allen took the orange scarf around his neck off and curled it around Lavi's. Lavi touched it and glanced up at him warily. "It'll make me feel better," Allen added, sticking his hands in his coat pockets with a blush.

Lavi broke into a smile. "Fine then. I'll see you in class."

Allen nodded. "See you there. Wait, you _did_ finish reading that short-story I had assigned over the weekend, right?"

Lavi's eyes widened. He slapped his forehead in exasperation and cried, "Aw, man! I totally forgot! I guess I was too distracted all weekend to concentrate on any work!"

Allen glared at him until Lavi burst into laughter. "I read it, Teach! Don't you worry your pretty little head!"

"I always worry," Allen exhaled heavily, "because trouble seems to follow you wherever you go."

Lavi smirked. "Yeah, but that's what you love about me, right?"

Allen rolled his eyes. "I'm beginning to wonder!"

Lavi chuckled before readjusting the scarf around his neck and glancing at the clock hanging on a streetlight. "Man, I really have to get going. My homeroom teacher will kill me if I'm late."

"He certainly will!"

With a final laugh, Lavi turned on his heels and raised a hand in farewell. "See ya, Teach!"

He began to walk away before Allen ran after him, grabbed his wrist, and said, "Wait! You forgot something!"

Lavi turned with a questioning look in his eye only to find Allen's lips crash suddenly against his own.

How long did they stand there, locked in that kiss?

It must have been just a few seconds, but it felt like several minutes—or possibly even a few days. Lavi blinked as Allen pulled away with a shy smile. "Are you sure I didn't forget anything else?" was Lavi's instant reply, to which Allen laughed and shook his head.

"All right. Get going, tough guy."

Lavi grinned, said goodbye again, and walked towards the school. He pressed his face into the scarf wrapped around his neck. The overwhelming scent of vanilla and coffee caused Lavi's head to spin ever-so-slightly.

The cold didn't bother him one bit. In fact, he went to school feeling warmer than he ever had before in his life.

...

"So, in short romanticism was a time of liberalism and nationalism. It relied more on the feelings of the authors rather than the societal confines of class division," Allen was teaching half-mindedly. His eyes kept traveling over to the grinning idiot in the back of the class.

More than once, Allen had to force himself to stop smiling.

Lavi, on the other hand, had the privilege of smiling even wider. Allen hadn't failed to notice the orange scarf still lingering on the youth's neck.

Tyki Mikk was absent that day.

Allen feigned concern as he announced that he hoped Tyki didn't get hurt during his baseball practice—to which Lavi snorted very loudly—and continued teaching.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell rang. "Have a good day, everyone!" Allen called.

The students all rose to their feet, shuffling for the door. Lavi was the last to leave. He flung his bag over his shoulder and started to walk casually past his desk. "I like your scarf, Bookman," the white-haired teacher said starkly.

Lavi wrapped it once more around his neck with a goofy smile. "Funny, I've been hearing that a lot today."

Allen frowned. "May I ask from whom?" he asked with an acidic twinge of jealousy.

Lavi winked at him. "That's not really important, is it? See you after school, Teach!"

Allen shook his head as Lavi left, closing the door behind him.

The rest of the day, Allen was in a haze. He taught the rest of his classes feeling just as bored as the students staring at their books with heavy eyes. During lunch, Allen left to go meet with his friend Reever, who instantly noticed the change in Allen's behavior.

"Did you meet someone?!" was the first thing the chemistry-major blurted out in the crowded café.

Allen blushed horribly, giving away the answer before he had the chance to even attempt to wash his suspicions away. Reever laughed and crossed his arms with an analytical look in his eyes. "Allen, you dog! You _did_ find someone, didn't you? Well, who is it? Come on, I won't tell!"

Allen shook his head. "I-It's complicated!"

"What are you, a thirteen year old girl's Facebook page?! Just spit it out! We're friends, aren't we?"

Allen groaned. "I don't think you would understand, Reever."

"What…is he ugly?"

"No!"

"Does he only have one leg?"

"Of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Allen dodged Reever's sharp gaze, glancing at the floor. "Like I said…it's pretty complicated. Can't we just leave it at that?"

"No way!" Reever perked up. "Now I'm curious! Who is this mystery person, I wonder? It must be someone you met at the high school! Is it another teacher?"

"Not exactly," Allen muttered.

"Then, what, it's a student?" Reever laughed heartily but upon seeing the way Allen fidgeted in his seat his smile disappeared at once. "Aw, hell, Allen! It's not a kid, is it?!"

Allen jumped, waving his hand nervously. "N-no! Of course not! Who are you talking to, Reever? I have more sense than that!"

Reever didn't look convinced but he let it slide. "Whatever you say, Al. Just…be careful, all right?"

"I'm always careful!" Allen argued.

"Mm hm," Reever hummed sarcastically.

...

Lavi was nearly skipping as he walked back into his English classroom once school was over. As soon as he opened the door and saw Allen's smiling face brimming up at him, he told himself that he was the luckiest person on earth.

He closed the door behind him and walked to the seat closest to the magnetic teacher. "How was the rest of your day?" Allen asked.

Lavi shrugged, pulling out his notebook. "Pretty uneventful. Same old, same old. You?"

Allen shook his head. "Boring. Distractive."

"Distractive?"

"Well, I couldn't seem to stay focused long. My thoughts kept drifting to what I did over the weekend. Ever have that problem?"

Lavi grinned. "Meh. Not really."

Allen rolled his eyes. "You're pretty cold, kid."

"And you're pretty dumb, Teach." Lavi winked. "Of course I thought of it."

Their eye contact was beginning to make Lavi's mind go through loops. His raunchy imagination ran a mile a minute. His heart pounded in his ears. He forced himself to stay focused. He was here to work on his YWA paper. That was the priority.

Allen moved closer to him. "Let me see what you have done so far," he said. His breath hit his ear, causing the younger to suppress a shudder as he handed him the rough draft. As their fingers brushed together, Lavi had to clutch the edge of his seat with his free hand so as not to break the distance and kiss him right then and there.

Allen read through the paper, scribbling every once in a while. The way his bottom lip pouted as he sat in thought made Lavi swoon.

_Get a grip, Lavi! Control yourself! You can wait. It's not like you can exactly do anything right now anyways! You're in school!_

Allen noticed Lavi's stare. "Yes?" he questioned with a smile in his voice.

"N-nothing!" he gasped, sitting upright. He hadn't noticed he had been leaning in closer and closer to him.

Allen laughed. "No, there's definitely something! Come on! Spit it out."

Lavi blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

A playful spark ignited in his eyes. "Don't you? Maybe I can torture it out of you?"

"Wh-wha?! What's with that look—AHAHAHA! ALLEN, STOP!"

Lavi fell back against the desk as he fell victim to Allen's torturous tickling. As he writhed on the desk he made the mistake of opening his eyes.

That eye contact again.

The way Allen was poised above him sent fire through his veins. All he could think about was kissing the man above him. Allen's tickling ceased as he, too, was seemingly entranced. Slowly, their lips gravitated closer before touching altogether.

At once, Lavi grabbed Allen's shirt. His restraint flew out the window. To hell with decency!

He pressed himself against Allen, moaning softly into his mouth. Allen responded back with force, pushing Lavi into the desk sharply.

Suddenly, Lavi surprised them both and flipped them around. Lavi grinned deviously at the stunned look on Allen's face. He bent down and kissed Allen's neck roughly, and the white-haired boy moaned.

Allen's fingers clutched at his arms and twisted so that Lavi was on his back again. He gasped as Allen's lips were on his, trying to make him submit.

_Oh no you don't!_

Lavi pushed Allen off of him and into the desk adjacent to the one they had just been on. Lavi crashed into Allen, tackling him to the desk roughly and accidentally kicking a chair in his haste. The sound of the metal scratching against the floor echoed unnaturally loud in the quiet atmosphere. Allen glared at him for being so noisy and struggled to turn them around as if to say, "Amateur!"

Lavi pressed Allen back. "Just because I let it happen the first time doesn't mean I'll be accepting that position!" Allen told him tauntingly.

"Oh really?"

Allen pouted cutely before flicking Lavi on the head roughly. "OW!" Lavi cried, hands flying to the red spot on his forehead. Allen took advantage of the lapse in Lavi's determination and flipped them around again. "N-not fair!" Lavi cried.

"All's fair in love and war," Allen reminded him.

"Damn English teachers…" Lavi gasped before pushing at Allen again.

The two struggled to be in control. Neither of them really cared who was doing what, but their pride got in the way and soon they were practically rolling around the entire classroom, making more than enough noise that could get them caught.

But wasn't that how it always was?

Allen and Lavi's relationship was founded on both of them trying to gain the upper hand, and Lavi would be damned if he would let that smug smile stay on Allen's face a moment longer. The frustration building up between them just seemed to make things that much hotter.

Even when Allen finally relinquished his pride and let Lavi win, neither of them really cared.

Even when Lavi fumbled a bit in the beginning, Allen still felt amazing.

And even when they had to cover each other's mouths to keep themselves from making too much noise, they both were lost in the same world of pleasure.

In the end, they both got what they truly wanted.

As Allen's hand slipped off of Lavi's mouth in the last, desperate moments, Lavi bent down to silence his tremulous moan with the kind of kiss that made them feel both safe and scared at the same time.

Entangled with the sighs and pants heating the otherwise still atmosphere of the school, came a simultaneous whisper from the two lovers.

"I love you."

...

Lavi was in a daze his whole walk home. What had transpired afterhours in his English classroom had left the teen lost in a daydream full of things that he used to consider cheesy and tasteless. Feeling what he could only describe as sickeningly _giddy_, he hopped up his porch steps and did a spin as he entered the front door.

When he was facing forwards again, his moment of happiness was gone as he stared unceremoniously at the top of a tuft of grey hair. Glancing down, he realized his grandfather was fuming up at him. "H-hey, gramps!" Lavi smiled nervously.

"Where have you been all this time?!"

"D-detention?"

"Aren't your detentions usually two hours long?" his grandfather jeered. "School was over at three. It's almost seven o'clock! What kept you?!"

Lavi thought of Allen. "Er…it's…complicated."

_Damn it. Now I'm starting to talk like him!_

"Complicated?"

"Yeah. You see. This new teacher—he hates me. And he gave me detention for, like, no reason at all! And he made me do this really stupid punishment and said I couldn't leave until I finished it. So. Yeah. That's why it took longer."

"What was the punishment?"

"Wh-what?"

"This punishment that took you three hours. What. Was. It." It wasn't even a question.

Lavi filtered through his memory banks for something—anything! "I had to…clean the trophy room…with a toothbrush…"

"A toothbrush?" His grandfather raised an eyebrow.

Lavi winced. "Y-yeah."

"What kind of school do you go to?"

Lavi nodded a little too eagerly. He waved his arms excitedly. "Th-that's what I said! It's completely ridiculous! Teachers aren't even allowed to give out punishments like that! It was a really old toothbrush, too!"

His grandfather, miraculously, seemed to buy it. "You know I have half a mind to call up this teacher of yours and give him a piece of my mind!"

Lavi smirked. "Yes! Please! It was horrible, Panda! Don't let them get away with it!" Lavi wailed dramatically. "Even when I explained that I had to be home, that my poor, elderly grandfather was waiting for me, he just overpowered me and forced me to keep cleaning trophy after trophy after trophy…" He sniffled.

"That's it! I'm calling him!" His grandfather spun around and marched away angrily.

"Make sure you ask for Mr. Walker!" Lavi called after him. Once he was out of sight, Lavi laughed to himself heavily. He couldn't wait to see Allen tomorrow!

_I mean, just because we're together now doesn't mean I'm done pranking him!_

_..._

Sure enough, the next morning, as Lavi came in early to see Allen before classes started, Allen seemed to be in an off mood. "Hey, Teach!" Lavi greeted before sitting on the edge of Allen's desk. "How was the rest of your night?"

Allen frowned worriedly. "Well…I got a call from your grandfather."

_Oh, this is too good!_

"Oh?" Lavi tried his best to sound surprised, but he couldn't keep the smile from his face. "What did he say?"

Allen looked distraught. "Well…he—erm—he said something about if I wanted an old toothbrush so badly then he would gladly find it an alternative spot in a very sensitive area. Hey, why are you…?" Allen trailed off as Lavi nearly fell on the ground laughing.

"I love that Panda!" he sniggered, loving the estranged look on Allen's face.

"This is serious, Lavi! Do you think he knows about us?"

Lavi cackled even harder. He had to hold his sides as he managed to spurt out, "No. He doesn't even suspect a thing!" He fell back into uncontrollable fits of laughter.

"I don't understand!" Allen flushed in confusion.

Suddenly the bell rang. Lavi glanced at the door before rising to his feet. "I'll explain later," he promised before heading over to his own seat in the back, failing to hold back his chuckles.

* * *

**A chapter of lovey-dovey stuff for you :3 So I've also been getting a lot of questions about how long this will be. I'm at about 50,000 word so far but it's not going to be much longer than that. There's going to be two phases to this story. I'll tell you when phase one is over and phase two begins. Until then, just enjoy the fluffiness! :P And again thanks for everyone that reviewed and whatever else! I adore reading them all! See you soon, -N**


	12. Chapter 12

A thousand questions were boiling in the frazzled teacher's head. He twiddled his thumbs mindlessly as the inquiries threatened to brim over and burst from his mouth before he had a chance to stop himself and making him look even guiltier than he already did.

Allen Walker sat in a pool of nerves in front of Principal Komui's desk and waited for the flamboyant man to show up. Komui had cornered Allen just before his lunch break and said rather hurriedly that he needed to speak with him right away about a very important matter regarding one of his students. Allen had instantly gone pale and began to shake. Thankfully, Komui seemed to be ignorant of his condition. Komui told him to go to his office straight away and wait for him while he dealt with some "official business."

Allen barely managed to squeak out an "Okay" before the principal shot off down the hall.

Allen had marched through the halls with a blank expression on his face, passing nameless students. Some of them greeted Allen as they walked, but Allen paid them no attention until he heard a familiar voice calling "Hey, Teach! Teach!" He snapped out of his reverie of fear and gazed up into a single bright green eye.

"Oh…Lavi…" Allen sighed. His numb body began to warm up from the radiant comfort that the redhead unwittingly offered him.

"Sheesh, Teach!" Lavi blinked. "Are you okay? Are you sick? Hey…Allen?" Lavi shook his shoulder gently, concern on his face.

Allen jumped. "Oh. I'm just on my way to Principal Komui's office. He said he needs to speak to me about something very important about one of my students…"

Lavi gasped. "You don't think…?"

"I don't know." Allen bit his lip. "I can't think of what else it could be."

Lavi glanced over his shoulder and then, upon being assured that no one else was watching, he took Allen's hand and ducked into the janitor's closet. Allen was still frozen whenever Lavi closed and locked the door behind them.

It was cramped in the closet and smelled strongly of bleach. Brooms and mops were hung haphazardly on the wall, looking ready to fall apart at any moment. It was dark. The only light came from the hallway that was sneaking through the cracks around the door.

Allen was brought back to himself as Lavi grabbed his arms and shook him lightly. "Hello! Earth to Allen!"

"Huh? What?"

Lavi frowned. "Look, Allen, no matter what happens…you know that I...just because other people may not understand it…I still love you, okay?" He said it all rather rushed and embarrassed. Allen looked up at him, wondering how he kept managing to fall deeper and deeper in love with the redhead.

A small smile pulled at Allen's reluctant lips. "Will you even love me if I'm sent to jail for years?"

"Of course. I'll visit you every day."

"Will you love me even if the rest of the world thinks I'm some creepy, perverted monster?"

"I'll love you even if you _were_ some monster."

"What if I'm forced out of town and have to change my name?"

"Then I'll go with you."

Allen frowned. "No. You couldn't. You have family and friends here, Lavi. You can't give them all up for me."

Lavi shook his head. "Gramps may be narrow-minded but he'll understand. And if my friends don't then they're not much of a friend, now, are they?"

"This is crazy," Allen laughed hysterically. "I mean, we barely know each other."

"I know you, Allen," Lavi whispered. "And I know that I love you. Isn't that enough?"

Allen paused and smiled into Lavi's genuine eyes. "Yes. That's enough."

Lavi absolutely beamed, which made him look like the most beautiful thing in the world, and leaned in to press a gentle, meaningful kiss on Allen's lips. "I'll go with you to Komui's office," Lavi whispered when they broke apart.

Allen shook his head. "No way. You just stay here. I'll…I'll pick you up after school and we'll talk then, okay?" Lavi gave him a troubled look. "Don't worry," Allen added. "Everything will be fine, right?" He smiled cheerfully.

Lavi pulled him into a tight hug. "Right."

Allen snuck out of the closet first, as it would look too suspicious for both of them to just suddenly emerge from the Janitor's closet during lunch period. He walked down the hall in a daze until he reached the principal's office. He stared at the sign for a few silent moments then opened the door and plopped onto the chair.

That had been fifteen minutes ago.

Now Allen's nerves were beginning to stir up again. He felt certain that Komui would return with half a dozen police officers that would arrest him on the spot. The news would be circulating around the story and everyone in the country would look at Allen in disgust.

Everyone, that is, except for Lavi.

As long as he still had him, then they could handle the rest together. Or so Allen kept hoping.

Suddenly, the door swung open, crashing into the adjacent wall loudly. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Allen!" Komui's bright sing-song voice reached Allen's frightened ears.

Allen turned and offered a weak smile. "I-It's fine, sir. I'm sure you're very busy."

He was relieved to see that there were no police officers, at least.

Komui winked at him from behind a dirty pair of glasses. "From what I hear, you've been pretty busy yourself!"

"E-eh?" Allen blinked.

"Yes, balancing teaching a class and college-level work must be absolutely exhausting for you!"

Allen let out a heavy exhale. "Oh, yes. Actually, it hasn't been that bad."

"You're too modest, Allen!" Komui laughed as he sat down in front of Allen. He folded his hands in front of his face. His cheery eyes seemed to take on a sharper, more serious look. "I need to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

"M-mind?" Allen laughed nervously. "Of course not!"

"Very good. It's about one of your students."

_Oh no. Here it comes._

"Y-yes?"

"Tyki Mikk."

A mixture of surprise and anger heated Allen at the mention of that name. Tyki hadn't shown up to class all week. Allen was all too glad to not have to look into those deceitful eyes after what had happened over the weekend.

"What about him?" Allen asked tensely.

"Surely you've noticed his extended absence?" Komui raised an eyebrow at Allen's sudden change in emotion.

Allen recovered quickly. "O-Oh. Yes. I assumed he was ill. It's not serious, is it?"

Komui smiled, looking relieved at Allen's display of concern. "You're kind to worry, Allen. I was surprised at Mr. Mikk's absence. And now I've just received a phone call from the boy's mother. It seems that he's transferring schools."

"T-transferring?" Allen blinked. "Where? When? For what reason?"

"She didn't offer any reasons why, just that she felt that Tyki belonged in a different environment. She made strong hints that he may have been bullied. You're new here so I wanted to get your insight. What's your opinion on Lavi Bookman Jr.?"

Allen felt cold all over. He was rooted in his seat. "L-Lavi?" He blinked. They thought Lavi had bullied Tyki out of the school? It made sense. Even Allen himself had suspected it. But that was before he saw Tyki Mikk brandishing a bat at him! "What do you mean, Mr. Lee?"

"Let me rephrase. We have had several reports of Lavi Bookman and Tyki Mikk having problems before. Tyki was known for blurting out insulting things and Lavi was known to have a short, impulsive temper. Do you think it's possible that Lavi bulled Tyki so severely that the Mikks had to pull him out of our school?"

"NO!" Allen answered a bit too quickly. Komui blinked at Allen, who bit his cheek for his enthusiasm. He sank back in his seat and tried to compose himself. "I-I mean…I haven't been here very long…but I've known both boys long enough to tell you that there is definitely some bad blood between them. In all honesty, I had seen enough that I had been convinced that Lavi actually _was_ bulling Tyki."

"But…" Komui prodded.

"But," Allen nodded, "during Lavi's continuous streams of detentions I uncovered enough to believe that perhaps it was actually Tyki Mikk doing the bullying and Lavi was simply standing up to him. He was being impulsive and uncouth and stupid, but I believe that, in his heart, Lavi wouldn't be capable of hurting Tyki as severely as this."

Komui was watching Allen very closely. "You speak very highly of Mr. Bookman, Allen. You seem to have gotten very close to him."

Allen blushed furiously. Now he had done it! He had made Komui suspicious of him.

"Aha, not r-really…" Allen stuttered. "I just have a good judge of character, I suppose."

Komui nodded. "I would say so. Anyways, that's all. You can return to your break. Sorry to have taken time out of your lunch, Allen."

Allen smiled and stood up, reaching over to shake Komui's extended hand. "Not a problem at all, Mr. Lee! If there's anything else I can help you with, please don't hesitate to ask."

As soon as the office door closed behind Allen, he let out a long, exasperated exhale and held his chest. "That was scary!" he cried out to himself, feeling a bit weak in the knees as he wobbled back to his classroom.

...

Lavi found himself lying across a white couch with his head in his English teacher's lap. After Lavi had arrived home after school to an empty house, and note from his grandfather saying that he was working very late, he texted Allen instantly. Within the hour, Allen had pulled up to Lavi's house. Once Lavi slide into the car nervously, as he was anxious about Allen's chat with Principal Komui, Allen leaned over and kissed him with so much enthusiasm that Lavi forgot his own name for a few moments.

"Sorry," Allen muttered once he released him. A sheepish smile appeared on his face. "I'm just relieved, is all."

Lavi nodded, unable to speak. He cleared his throat and his head. "So…is everything okay?"

"Komui didn't know about us. He wanted to talk about Tyki Mikk instead." Lavi tensed, but Allen didn't acknowledge it. "He's transferred."

"T-transferred?" Lavi gasped, sure that he had heard Allen wrong. One look at Allen's smiling face told him that he hadn't. "Why?"

"Apparently he was the victim of some merciless bully," Allen laughed.

Lavi smiled and pulled Allen into a rough kiss that left them both breathless. "Let's get out of here," he whispered to Allen, who smiled and nodded and put the car into drive at once.

Although he was grounded, the frequent absence of his grandfather made it quite feasible to sneak out for hours at a time. Allen chastised him ruthlessly for it, but the white-haired man never seemed to really mind whenever Lavi came over. It was these moments of peace and privacy that they cherished the most and they were so rare that neither of them argued.

Both of the young men were submersed in a book. Allen was working indomitably on a paper for a college class. Lavi watched him, enthralled by the display of determination, before slowly returning his attention to the book in his hands. Timcanpy was resting on the floor in front the couch. Allen had said that he was only temporarily watching the dog, but it had nearly been two weeks since he had been left in Allen's care. Not that Lavi minded; he loved animals. His hand dangled over the edge of the couch and pet Tim lightly as he read.

Lavi wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, frozen in their little world of peace, but it seemed too soon that Lavi's stomach growled impatiently. Allen broke away from his work, poking Lavi's stomach boyishly. "Looks like I've been neglecting my guest," he smiled apologetically. "I'm not the best host, am I?"

Lavi smirked, enjoying the way his head rested so comfortably in Allen's lap. "Hm, well I may be willing to forgive your disregard for my wellbeing if…"

"If?" A white eyebrow rose suspiciously.

"If we just order a pizza or something."

Allen frowned; evidently this had not been the kind of answer he was looking for. "Yeah, yeah! I'm on it!" Allen sighed. Without disturbing Lavi's position, Allen reached over and lifted his cellphone.

Lavi stifled a yawn behind his hand and played with a button on Allen's cuff idly while the elder ordered. Allen swatted at Lavi's hand as he spoke in a polite tone to the person on the other end. Smirking, Lavi sat up from his favorite pillow and sat on his own knees, facing Allen mischievously. "Yes, that's fine…" Allen was saying as he shot Lavi a dirty look. Only feeling even more encouraged, Lavi wrapped his arms around Allen's shoulders and pressed his lips against Allen's neck.

Allen leaned out of Lavi's embrace with an annoyed glare, but Lavi only followed. This time biting the sensitive flesh gently. "_Ah!"_ came the startled response. Lavi watched in amusement as Allen tried to cover up his mistake. "Ah, right! My address is—_a-ahh!_" Allen bit his lip furiously as he hit Lavi, who retreated with a laugh. "No, I'm sorry. As I was saying, my address is…" Allen continued, waving Lavi away like he was an annoying fly.

As Allen hung up, he turned to Lavi. "You'll pay for that," he growled. "He must have thought I was insane!"

"Who cares what he thinks?" Lavi sighed, wrapping his arms around Allen's shoulders as he fell into him again. "You need to lighten up, Teach! You don't have to be so courteous to people all the time, you know."

Allen blushed. "And you don't have to be so blunt all the time."

Lavi just shrugged. "How long until the pizza arrives?"

"Half hour. Why?"

"Just wondering," Lavi's voice pitched off in a not-so-subtle way. He reclined back on the couch, very conscious of the fact that Allen was looking at him.

They hadn't been _with_ each other since their little impulsive escapade in the classroom. With Lavi being grounded, Allen's overflowing work load, and only twenty-four hours in a day, they even had to begin cutting down their study sessions…their _real_ study sessions.

At first, Lavi thought he would be able to control himself. But spending an hour a day having to watch his lover from a sigh-able distance was beginning to go to his head, and his plan to annoy Allen had backfired as his thoughts turned reckless.

Allen shook his head and smiled. "Wondering, huh? I can only imagine what could be running through your mind."

"Dirty old man," Lavi sneered as Allen leaned in and surprised him with a kiss.

Lavi would have been more than happy to continue when all of the sudden Lavi's phone rang. Lavi ignored it and continued to kiss Allen blissfully. But whoever was calling Lavi was relentless. It rang again. Allen broke away, breathing heavily. "D-do you need to get that?"

"Not a chance," Lavi gasped, kissing him again.

It rang a third time.

A fourth.

"Dammit." Lavi growled against Allen's skin before pulling away and answering his phone. "What?!" he asked sharply.

"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" Kanda's tremulous voice boomed on the other end. "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"What? Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh, just that I ran into your grandfather on the street and he thanked me for tutoring you in math tonight! So I ran to your house and you're not here! Where the_ hell_ are you, Bookman?! You're lucky I didn't rat your ass out!"

"Whoa, Yu! Calm down!"

"_DON'T CALL ME THAT, YOU IDIOT!"_

_"All right_! I can explain, just…when is the Panda coming home?"

"I don't know. He said something about grabbing you guys a pizza or something. The point it—where are _you_ and why did you need to use me tutoring you in math as a cover?! I _hate_ math!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lavi gasped. "Back up! He's on his way back?!"

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU IDIOT! NOW JUST TELL ME WHERE THE FU—"

Lavi hung up instantly. He turned to Allen with an alarmed look. Allen smiled sadly, but understandingly. "Gotta go," he said apologetically.

"Yeah. I figured. Need a ride?"

"Thanks, but if my grandfather drove in just as we were arriving—"

"You seriously don't expect me to let you walk home alone in the dark with you being a magnet for trouble, do you?" Allen raised an eyebrow sternly.

Lavi gritted his teeth. Sometimes his teacher really got on his nerves! "Fine! If it makes you feel better, then, fine!"

"Yes, it _will_ make me feel better! After watching Tyki whack your head with a bat like it was a mailbox I've done nothing but worry! Am I not allowed to care about the person I love?"

Lavi faltered. He stared at the carpet before muttering a tense, "Sorry."

Allen sighed. "Let me grab my keys."

They made it just in time. As soon as Allen pulled out of his driveway, the old man came home. Lavi had just sat down on the couch and hastily pulled his math homework out of his bag when his grandfather walked in the front door. He regarded Lavi with a suspicious glance. "You were at Kanda's?"

"He's been tutoring me in math," Lavi mumbled. "I know I'm grounded and all but I really needed help and I couldn't get ahold of you at work so—"

"Yeah, well, it's been long enough now, hasn't it? I guess you're off the hook."

Lavi grinned. "Really? I'm free?"

"Yeah, yeah! Don't get too excited, punk. I won't hesitate to smack that stupid grin off your face!"

Lavi just smiled. "Thanks, Panda."

"Enough with the nicknames, kid."

"But I give everyone a nickname."

"I know."

...

"HEY, ASSHAT!"

Lavi lifted his head off of his desk sleepily in time to see Kanda marching after him with an angry look in his eyes. In all honesty, he had forgotten that he owed Kanda an explanation. He was so relieved that he hadn't been found out by his over-analytical grandfather that he missed the strew of angry, vulgar texts from his foul-mouthed friend. He supposed he had to think up of an excuse quickly, before Kanda could guess what was going on. But English class was _not_ the place he wanted to have that chat.

Kanda, thankfully completely oblivious, slammed his hands forcefully down on Lavi's desk, which jerked Lavi fully awake. Kanda's sharp eyes stabbed at Lavi angrily. "You've got a lot of explaining to do!"

"C-can't it wait, Yu?" Lavi gasped.

Kanda's eye twitched. "I swear if you call me that one more time—"

"Look!" Lavi cut across him. "Now's not the best time to talk about it!"

"Why the hell not? Now your grandfather thinks I'm some sort of mathlete! Who were you _with_?" Kanda demanded, looking murderous. At that moment, the classroom door opened and Allen Walker stepped in. Lavi's attention traveled over to him and watched the way Allen's thin, shapely legs moved in the tight fabric as he walked to his desk and said a cheery good morning to Lenalee. Lavi's eyes moved up Allen's entire figure, resting finally at those happy grey eyes that stared back at him. Suddenly, Lavi wasn't able to look away. Instead, he just sat there, gazing at Allen, with a small smile on his face.

Kanda huffed at being ignored and followed his friend's line of sight. He looked at Allen and back at Lavi in annoyance. Then he looked back at Allen again. His eyes widened, like he had just put two and two together. He grew very red from face—whether from anger or embarrassment or both—and grabbed Lavi aggressively.

"Y-Yu! What the hell?" Lavi protested.

"WE NEED TO TALK, YOU JACKASS!" Kanda shouted and all but dragged Lavi out of the room.

"Hey, you two, class is about to start!" Allen shouted after them, but Kanda responded with such a frightening look that Allen sunk away and nodded frantically.

"Yu, come on! Quit acting so weird!" Lavi groaned, shrugging out of Kanda's tight grip and glaring at his best friend. "What is it?"

Kanda scowled with his eyes closed and smacked Lavi upside the head. "OW!" Lavi cried, holding his ear. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY INSANE?" Kanda exploded. Lavi could see a vein jumping in his forehead. He took a step back to create a safe zone.

"Wh-what do you—?"

"WERE YOU WITH MR. WALKER?!"

Lavi's heart stopped. He gaped shakily at his best friend, looking for words but finding none. A pretty obvious silence coupled with Lavi's reaction managed to confirm Kanda's suspicions on their own. Everything else that left Lavi's mouth was just a stream of unheard blabbering. "Th-that's ridiculous, Kanda! Allen and I?"

Kanda hit him again. "IDIOT! DON'T LIE!"

"B-but I'm not—!"

"Look, jackass, I saw the way you were drooling over him when he walked in! Plus, you just called him 'Allen!' It's pretty unusual to call your teacher by his first name unless you've been sleeping with him!"

"I-It's not like that at all!" Lavi waved his hands in denial.

"Oh really? So you haven't slept with him?"

"I—uh…"

"Goddammit, Bookman!" Kanda gritted his teeth. "How long has this been going on?"

Lavi shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. He couldn't look Kanda in the eye, mostly because he was afraid that Kanda would find the nearest sharp object and stab him with it. "J-just a week or two!"

Kanda growled under his breath. "You've been acting differently ever since that short-stack came to this school! I didn't want to believe it but…you're as stupid as they come!"

Lavi smiled apologetically. "It's not like I planned for this to happen, Yu."

"KANDA!" he corrected menacingly. "Watch yourself or I'll cut your tongue off! Need I remind you how stupid this is?! If you are caught—!"

"Look, thanks for covering for me and everything, Yu, but…well…there's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind about this. I'm…I really…"

Kanda didn't give any signs of backing down. In fact, his frown only succeeded in concaving downwards even more. Then he let out a loud sigh and held his forehead. "This is ridiculous!" he muttered. "Why am I even wasting time on this?" He turned around and started walking to class, leaving Lavi blinking after, feeling as though he had just had a brush with death. "Just do what you want!" he called over his shoulder. "But _you're _telling Lenalee!"

Lavi slowly thought over his words. Had Kanda just…accepted it? A wild grin appeared on his face as he bounded after Kanda in the hall and placed an arm around his shoulder. "You're going soft, Yu!" he sang, just to spite him.

"I'll kill you, you rabbit!" Kanda promptly shoved Lavi off of him, but Lavi swore that just for a fleeting moment, he saw the hints of a smile dusting at the corners of Kanda's mouth.

They walked into the classroom just as the bell was ringing. A very affronted Allen Walker stood before them, arms crossed and frown set. Lavi gave him a small apologetic smile while Kanda grew very red in the face and adverted his eyes. "Can't look at him the same…" Lavi caught Kanda muttering.

"Well, if you two are ready, might we begin class?" Allen's taut voice clipped at them.

Lavi grinned and saluted him. "The floor is yours!"

Beside him, Kanda scowled and marched to his seat, muttering what vaguely sounded like curses under his breath like a chant. Lavi meandered to his own seat and snuck Allen a wink before the white-haired man rolled his eyes and began teaching.

* * *

**KANDA KNOWS! Well, they couldn't keep it a secret forever, right? But who else knows~? (Laughs darkly) ALL RIGHT. So you know the drill by now. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and all of that fun stuff! You guys are awesome! :P I'll see you in a few days, yeah? -N**


	13. Chapter 13

Allen took in a deep breath of the cold air. The bright snow made his eyes sting but he didn't mind. Winter was always his favorite season. Most people despised the cold, less than favorable weather. Perhaps that's what made Allen like it so much.

It was strange, but Allen felt like he could identify himself with winter. Mana's death had left behind a hollow, frozen hole in Allen's heart. He felt alone and empty for the years that followed. Even after Cross had taken him in, he was still alone most of the time. Cross was always out doing Allen-didn't-even-want-to-know-what and left Allen to care for himself. He had had Timcanpy with him, but having a one-sided conversation with a dog that liked nothing more than to eat Allen's pillows grew wearisome after a while.

Then he had gone to college, and though he had friends, he spent his nights locked in his dorm room studying alone while the rest of his friends partied and did normal things a young adult would do. Allen never felt lonelier than those sleepless nights spent reading and researching. He never let anyone in on just how he was feeling, though. He didn't want anyone to worry about him.

The last time he made someone worry, that someone had died.

In a way, he preferred to be alone. At least that was what he always told himself.

Whenever he looked out at the snow-covered ground in December or January and saw the barren trees and fruitless fields, he felt comforted to know that he wasn't the only thing in the world that was lonely sometimes.

Allen was a winter. The proof rested in his hair. It's not like he asked for it to turn white. It just did.

Throughout the years, Allen had allowed himself to continue living in an endless winter, never minding it for a moment.

That is, until, a certain rabbit hopped over and brought spring to his own little world. Lavi Bookman had managed to melt away Allen's wintry exterior with his burning smiles and bright eyes. Emotions Allen hadn't felt in a long time in this extremity were blossoming in his head. Allen suddenly found himself favoring spring.

Of course, that didn't stop Allen from admiring the beauty winter had to offer. Especially whenever Lavi was in the picture. His entire being seemed to contrast against the snowy park.

So there they were, Fire and Ice, holding hands as they passed through the park unnoticed by the rest of the world.

...

Lavi sneezed menacingly and brought his coat closer to his body. His teeth were chattering and he looked a bit flushed from the cold wind snapping at his cheeks. Needless to say, Lavi Bookman did not like winter.

"Bless you," Allen sang.

"Damn weather." Lavi sniffled. His voice sounded nasally. The redhead had caught a cold the first day of their winter break. Allen simply refused to kiss him while he was sick, and Lavi had been in a bad mood ever since. "I can't wait until summer. Then I can kiss this cold goodbye!"

"I don't mind it," Allen remarked, watching the sky.

"Of course you don't." Lavi rolled his eyes. He sneezed roughly again. "Ah, this is going to be the death of me! Why can't we just go back and hang at your place?"

"Because I wanted to go out today. I'm sick of hiding out at my house. It makes me feel like a criminal."

Lavi shivered. "Then let's go see a movie or go get something to eat. Someplace _warm_!"

"If you're that cold I suppose I can find a way to warm you up."

Lavi snorted. "Oh yeah? How do you propose to do that, you idi—"

Allen kissed him, in the middle of the park, where anyone could see. Lavi's eye widened in surprise but he relaxed into the kiss. All too soon, Allen pulled away with a shy smile. "Any better?" he asked.

Lavi blushed and turned away from angrily. "I thought you didn't want to risk getting sick."

"I'll take my chances."

"Moron." He paused for a moment then dropped his voice and said, "Are you sure this is all right? Us being out, I mean? We've had some pretty close calls lately." Lavi thought back to the previous week.

There had been the time that they had gotten a little carried away during one of their study sessions. The school janitor abruptly came in without warning. Thankfully, he had entered backwards as he was dragging along a large cart with him, but it gave them a scare all the same. They had quickly flown away from each other and tried not to look guilty.

Then there was Kanda's loud mouth. Between the wont streams of curses and swears, Lavi would sometimes pick up Allen and Lavi's names. He would constantly torment Lavi with sayings such as, "Did you enjoy doing your English homework last night?" or "I always heard rumors that Shakespeare was gay. You think Mr. Walker could give any insight to that, Lavi?" Just things to get under Lavi's skin. It would cause the redhead to chase Kanda around the room, swearing angrily. Then Allen to suddenly appear, waving his arms frantically and shouting for them to stop, the threat of detention no longer holding its meaning. It usually ended up with Kanda being the one to hit Lavi unless Allen intervened.

Allen knew that Kanda knew. And Kanda knew that Allen knew that he knew. The tension between the two had reached an almost disastrous level. Lavi could practically see flames in their eyes as they argued.

The commotion, though a normal, daily occurrence in first period English, had caught the attention of a certain principal, however, and Komui now sat in the back of the classroom quite often. He appeared once or twice a week and just watched Allen very closely. This would make the Brit quite nervous and flustered, so Lavi felt badly about trying out a prank during these tense times.

Komui had even taken to sitting in during Allen and Lavi's study sessions, which was terribly awkward for both of them. Allen would stay at his desk, instead of pulling up a chair at Lavi's, and Lavi would diligently work without so much of a playful smirk or jest. Neither of them knew the real reason why Komui was observing them, but the message was clear. They had to play it safe.

Then there was the horrible ordeal involving the school restrooms. It had been _pure_ coincidence that the two suddenly had the need to go to the second floor boy's bathroom, the least used at the school due to its out-of-the-way location, at precisely one o'clock on Thursday afternoon. It was simply _chance_ that they ran into each other and that their hands touched as they reached for a paper towel. It wasn't planned at _all_. So when the two had ended up in the same stall with Allen's back pressed against the wall and Lavi attacking his mouth with his own, it was all accidental.

But what was the most unexpected was when two others entered the bathroom—a man and a woman. Apparently these two had the same mindset as Lavi and Allen. A head quickly ducked under the door, checking to see if anyone else was in the room. Allen and Lavi had perched themselves on top of the toilet, hands clamped over each other's mouth and staring widely at each other. They hadn't been caught, however, and the two other occupants fell into the stall adjacent to theirs. They sneaked out as quietly and as quickly as they could.

And that had been the end of their adventures of trying _anything_ during school hours.

So it had surprised Lavi when his little worry-wart suggested the idea that they spend the day in the city. "Like a real date," Allen had said cutely over the phone. Lavi had agreed without really thinking it through—when did he ever think these things through? But now, as they walked openly down the street, Lavi couldn't help but feel a bit nervous that they would run into someone they knew. It was horribly risky, but Allen seemed unnaturally at ease.

"Who's the worrier now?" Allen teased, poking Lavi's frowning face. "Come on! How often do you actually see someone from school _outside_ of school? This city is so large, it's like a needle in the haystack. It'll be fine."

Lavi sighed, but relented. "If you say so," he said and allowed himself to be guided by his English teacher through the crowded streets and busy stores.

...

They ended up going into a bookstore. Allen was looking for a book for one of his classes and promised Lavi that he would only be a minute. As he searched shelf after shelf for the blasted thing, he hadn't noticed when Lavi had wandered off.

"Ah, here it is!" Allen held the book triumphantly over his head. He purchased it and said brightly, "We can leave now, Lavi. Lavi?" He turned to find his boyfriend wasn't there.

It only took a few minutes to track him down in the rather small store. Allen was surprised to find Lavi sitting next to a pile of books with his nose stuck in a text full of ancient legends and myths. Allen held back a gasp.

Lavi was reading? _His_ Lavi? And Allen hadn't threatened him once?

"L-Lavi?" Allen approached him slowly, as if Lavi would react like a timid deer to Allen's sudden presence and cast away the book as quickly as he had picked it up.

But Lavi only glanced up with a happy smile on his face. "Hey, Teach!" he sang. "This is so cool!" he added, pointing to the book.

Allen worriedly placed his hand against Lavi's forehead, which was surprisingly cool. "Lavi, are you feeling all right? Are you ill? Perhaps we really should go home. Maybe you need to eat something warm and lie down."

Lavi rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, _Grandma_. Say, have you ever heard of an akuma?"

"Eh?" Allen blinked incredulously. "Aren't they demons or something? Anyways, Lavi we can go now. I've bought my book." He held up his bag as proof.

Lavi nodded emptily, his attention already back into the book. Then, Allen got an idea.

Curiously, Allen took Lavi to the library next and let the redhead loose.

At first, Lavi inched forwards tentatively, glancing back at Allen like he was a lost puppy. Allen nodded encouragingly, waving him on, and eventually Lavi slinked into the rows of shelves, his red hair eventually disappearing from sight.

Allen stifled a yawn and plopped down on one of the armchairs. He read the book he had bought at the store earlier while Lavi moseyed though the tall, old shelves, slowly looking less and less uncomfortable and more and more curious.

After a while, Allen fell asleep. He was only awakened by the sound of his phone receiving an email. When he checked the time, he was shocked to see that it was after five.

They had been in the library for over three and a half hours!

He began hunting for Lavi. He found him standing in one of the aisles, lost in the same book he had been reading in the bookstore. "Have you been reading this the whole time?" Allen asked Lavi.

He didn't receive an answer.

Allen smiled. "Why don't you check it out if you're so interested in it?"

Lavi looked up from the book. "Huh? What? Oh, hey, Teach! Where've you been?"

"Come on, you. Let's go check that book out."

Checking out the book proved to be an ordeal all on its own. First, Allen had to fill out an application for a library card for Lavi, which entailed another twenty minutes of mindless paperwork and Lavi getting distracted by anything and everything and wandering off.

"Hey, Lavi, what's your address?" No answer. Allen turned around and Lavi was gone. "LAVI!"

He heard a crash and, with a sinking feeling, turned in the direction of the children's area, where several toys had been left out for the children to play with. There was Lavi along with a little girl sitting amidst a bunch of scattered blocks. Apparently, they had been building a castle or something and it fell over. At that moment, Lavi stood and cried "You've ruined it!" at the little girl, which caused the poor thing to tear up.

Allen had stomped over and gave Lavi a well-deserved smack on the back of the head before forcing Lavi to apologize to the girl, who merely kicked Lavi in the shin and ran off, sticking her tongue out at him. "Brat!" Lavi muttered under his breath, hopping ungracefully on one foot while he hugged his injured knee to his chest.

Allen growled, grabbed Lavi by the ear, and dragged him forcefully back to the counter. "Don't be such a child," he fumed, but his heart skipped a beat when Lavi closed his eyes as he laughed heartily.

After the library had had quite enough of them, they went to grab something to eat at a nice restaurant that was surprisingly quiet for its urban location. Lavi practically read the whole time. Whenever Allen would ask him anything, he'd be lucky if he got even a grunt in response.

"I've created a monster," Allen muttered dryly as he drank his coffee grumpily.

But, all things considered, Allen thought as he mulled over his steaming cup, it wasn't a bad way to spend the day.

...

Christmas came faster than Lavi was prepared for. After a lot of begging and bribing, Lavi's grandfather allowed Lavi to go out Christmas night as long as he agreed to be home until dinner. Lavi was even allowed the car for the night.

"Your grades are higher than they've ever been," his grandfather said. "Consider it a reward for your hard work."

Laughing nervously—to the point where his grandfather seemed to grow suspicious—Lavi thanked him and ran out the door with a horrible blush on his face. Sighing, he eyed the keys in his hands. He'd be with Allen in a few short minutes. A smile appeared on his face as he tossed the keys into the air and caught them quickly.

He nearly jumped into the car and started it. Lavi hadn't seen Allen since Christmas break started a week ago. Lavi hadn't been able to sneak away from his friend's calls and grandfather's chores. Allen was on break from his college work as well, but his high school duties were still forcing the poor guy to retreat into his apartment and grade paper after paper.

It was their first real holiday together. They were celebrating two tonight, actually.

Christmas and Allen's twenty-first birthday. Allen had spent the day out with his college friends, but as it was Christmas, not many bars were open so, thankfully, Allen was able to spend the night with him.

Lavi's heart pounded in his ears nervously. He didn't know why he was so nervous. It was just Allen. It's been over a month now that they've been "together". He had never been happier. Unfortunately his good mood didn't go unnoticed by his grandfather, who interrogated him daily.

But what could Lavi tell him?

_Oh, yeah, I'm sleeping with our substitute, overage male English teacher. You know, the one I've been alone in the classroom with the past few months? _

Somehow, he got the feeling that wouldn't sit well with him.

Lavi just let him believe that Lavi was interested in a girl. He didn't even _want_ to know how he would react if Lavi was involved with another man, let alone an older man that taught Lavi's first period class, even if he wasn't a true "teacher".

Lavi felt bad for keeping it a secret from his only family and a majority of his friends—as only Kanda knew and Lenalee was growing more and more suspicious— but, really, it was for their own good! Besides, he loved Allen, as much as he hated to admit it to himself, so he wouldn't give him up.

As Lavi knocked on Allen's front door, he heard Timcanpy barking excitedly. Lavi smiled. He had grown fond of that dog over the past month. "_Tim! Down!"_ he heard a muffled voice scolding.

The door opened. "Lavi!" Allen smiled oddly at him.

Lavi blinked. "T-Teach?!"

Allen's cheeks were rosy and his eyes were glazed over. He was smiling goofily, unlike the shy one he usually sported. Lavi noticed he was wearing a usual button-down shirt, but the first couple of buttons were undone and his tie was completely untied. "Aw, look how cute you are in a sweater!" Allen laughed loudly, hanging onto the door frame.

Lavi tried to smile but it came out as a worried grimace. "Damn, Teach, how much alcohol did you consume today?"

Allen didn't give him a direct answer. Instead, he just held up a full glass. "Nut. Meg." He pronounced seriously then broke into laughter.

"Great. You're drunk." Lavi sighed.

"Nononono!" Allen gasped. "I'm not! I'm not drunk! I only had…um, let's see…" Allen started counting on his fingers, but grew more and more frustrated with himself. Comprehension struck him like a bolt of lightning. His eyes went wide. "Oh my God!" he cried, looking horrified. "Lavi, am…am I drunk?"

Lavi burst into laughter. He held his sides as Allen's perplexed face gaped at him. "What?!" Allen gasped, glaring at him heavily.

"You're…so damn _cute_!" Lavi roared.

Allen glared at him. "N-not funny, Lavi! I've never been drunk before!"

"Really? _Never_?"

"Don't look too surprised," he grumbled.

Lavi shook his head and laughed as he walked inside of Allen's house. Allen placed his untouched glass on the table before stopping suddenly. "I don't think I like alcohol," he sighed, holding his head.

"Where did you go today?" Lavi asked incredulously.

"Can't even remember!" Allen sighed. "You must think I'm insane."

"I think you're just enjoying your twenty-first birthday!" Lavi laughed and sat down beside Allen on the couch. "Happy Birthday, Allen."

"Merry Christmas, Lavi."

"You didn't decorate your tree?" Lavi asked, gesturing to the bare tree in the corner of Allen's living room.

"Didn't have time!" Allen sighed. "Been too busy. Bloody papers to grade, yanno…"

"Well, that's no good!" Lavi stood up decisively with his hands on his hips, though he found it immensely entertaining how Allen's British side seemed to come out whenever he was tipsy. "You got decorations?"

"Yeah, got a bunch there in a box above the mantle." Allen rose and grabbed the box, sifting through the objects inside.

Lavi promptly tore the box away from Allen's hands and marched over to the sad-looking tree. "All right. First we need lights."

Allen saluted him. "On it!"

They spent the next hour trying to figure out how the lights worked. Allen, in his tipsy state, somehow managed to wrap Timcanpy and himself up in the lights. It took Lavi a full twenty minutes to completely detangle them from each other. It didn't help that Allen had a serious case of the giggles and kept tripping over his own feet. He had even accidentally knocked over the tree once in his clumsiness, which caused a new round of laughter from Allen, and they had to start fresh again.

When they were finally done, Lavi stepped back to admire their handiwork. A respectfully traditional Christmas tree now stood before them, strung with bright white lights and red and gold and silver ornaments. A gleaming gold star twinkled at the top and tinsel was wrapped around the green branches delicately. Lavi felt quite proud of himself.

"It's beautiful." Allen smiled as he reached for Lavi's hand shamelessly. "I can't remember the last time I had a Christmas tree up. I meant to this year, but I never had the time."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Lavi snapped his fingers and dropped Allen's hand so that he could go and retrieve two wrapped presents. "These are for you!"

Allen blinked and slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot!" He spun on his heels and disappeared into the hallway. He walked back out with a large wrapped gift in his hand. "I've gotten you something as well."

The two sat on the couch and exchanged gifts. Tim trotted over and lay down in front of the crackling fireplace with a yawn. Lavi smiled at him for a second before turning his attention to the silver wrapped box in front of him. Carefully, he pulled at the blue ribbon that Allen had artistically tied around the gift and tore off the paper.

Allen ripped the blue wrapping off of one of his gifts at the same time.

Lavi opened up the box and was surprised at what he found.

Inside, was an old and torn copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_. Lavi lifted it with heavy hands. A smile appeared on his face as he shook his head and turned to see Allen looking very surprised as he pulled a new copy of the same book from the blue wrapping paper.

Allen faced Lavi with a perplexed expression. "How did you…?"

"Great minds think alike, I suppose?" Lavi laughed.

Allen smiled and regarded his gift like it was a newborn child. "I suppose so."

Lavi ran his hand down the worn spine of his copy. He opened the front cover to see an old smudged signature in the top-right corner of the very first page.

_Allen Walker_

In the middle of the page, in much more recent writing, was a small message from Allen.

_Dear Lavi,_

_This is my personal copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. You may or may not remember, but it was the book we read in class the day we met and it was the book that generated the prompt to make you write a fantastic essay that in turn sparked the beginning of my love for you. I feel a bit silly for writing that, but it's completely true. You're full of surprises, Lavi Bookman, and each day I find myself learning more and more about you and then I end up falling more and more in love with you—even when you placed that whoopee cushion on my chair. And even though it has only been a few months since we'd met, I don't think I could imagine anything different now. You've become a part of my life. I don't know how you did it, but you did._

_Merry Christmas, Lavi._

_Love always,_

_Allen_

Lavi traced his thumb over Allen's signature with the ghost of a smile lingering on his face. He glanced at Allen, who was wiping his eyes as he read a similar message in the new copy Lavi had written in. He felt a burst of affection for the man sitting next to him as he clutched the book with a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. "Thank you, Lavi!" he cried. "This is…" he shook his head, unable to find the right words, "amazing."

There were other things in the box Allen had given Lavi, but Lavi didn't even glance at them. All he wanted to look at now was Allen himself. They both held their copies of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ with strong grips, completely in awe of each other.

After a few moments, Allen seemed to snap back to his senses. "Oh! The other one!" he said and reached for the second gift on the table.

"For your birthday!" Lavi nodded.

Allen scowled. "You didn't have to…"

"Nonsense!" Lavi smiled. "Open it!"

Allen frowned, sighed, but opened the present nonetheless. He pulled out a long blue scarf and his eyes widened. Lavi rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "I'm a terrible shopper," he admitted sheepishly. "But I felt sort of bad about stealing your orange scarf, so I got you a replacement. I made Lenalee come with me to pick one out." Of course, that in itself had been an adventure.

Lenalee, although neither of them fully came out and said it, seemed to assume who the gift was for. She would mutter things like, "No. That would color make his hair stand out." She would pester Lavi for some clues but, by the end of the night, Lavi could tell that she knew exactly what was going on.

The thought caused a twist of worry in his gut. It wasn't that he thought his friends would ever rat him out. It was just that the more people that knew, the more likely it was that they would get caught.

And Lavi did _not_ want that.

"It's great!" Allen beamed, eyes shining. "Really, really great! Thank you, Lavi!"

Lavi leaned in closer and closer until their foreheads touched. "Happy Birthday," he whispered before finishing the distance and pressing his lips against Allen's softly and roughly at the same time. Allen responded at once, wrapping his hands around Lavi's neck and pulling him closer.

Suddenly, the presents sat forgotten on the table. Both of their attention was being drawn to each other and were quickly succumbing to the wills of their bodies. Before Lavi was even fully aware of it himself, he was pressing Allen into the cushions. Allen was whispering his name in the short seconds their lips were apart, hands beckoning him closer.

In his rush, Lavi lost his balance and tumbled off of the couch, dragging Allen along to the floor with a shouted. Allen sharp protest was quickly disarmed by the quickest, most effective way Lavi knew how. With a kiss.

The pair lay on the floor in front of the fire. Lavi could already feel the heat stinging at his over-sensitive skin. Allen was pulling at Lavi's shirt and arching his back toward him. The sight of his hazy eyes was almost too much for Lavi to handle.

As Lavi took off his own shirt, he decided to tease his English teacher a bit. He lingered his lips above Allen's ear and began to sing happy birthday breathlessly. Allen bit his lower lip and pushed his body against Lavi's pleadingly, effectively ending all conversation for a while.

It was far past curfew whenever Lavi remembered he had such a thing. "That old man is going to maul me," Lavi sighed dramatically. "If you never see me again, it's because he's actually gone through and killed me this time."

"Don't be so dramatic," Allen laughed. "Why don't you just call him and explain? I'm sure he's just worried and wants to be sure you're okay."

"Explain? Explain what?" Lavi blinked. "'Oh, hey, Panda! Listen, I was just at Mr. Walker's house. You know, my substitute English teacher that is totally overage and totally sleeping with me!' Yeah, real smooth conversation that would be!"

Allen smacked his arm. "You know that's not what I meant. Just say you were with friends and lost track of time and you'll be home in the morning."

Lavi paused. "In the morning?"

A light blush colored Allen's cheeks. "W-well. It's snowing pretty hard outside and it's late. It would be safer if you just stay put."

"Hm...well when you put it like that..." Lavi grinned and leaned over for a kiss, but Allen pulled away.

"Call your grandfather," Allen said sternly.

Lavi pouted childishly before searching the apartment for his coat. He found Timcanpy lying on it possessively and it took Allen and Lavi both to pry it from underneath the overweight mutt. "What have you been feeding him?" Lavi gasped as he took his phone from the pocket.

"Oh, you know..." Allen waved dismissively, but never finished his sentence.

Shaking his head, Lavi dialed his grandfather's number and held his phone to his ear, sitting on the edge of the couch. It only took one ring for his grandfather to answer. "Lavi!" he sounded annoyed, but not nearly as angry as Lavi thought he would be. "Where are you?"

"Uh...still with friends," Lavi said, making sure to keep it vague, "but the weather is getting pretty bad so...if it's all right with you..." Lavi froze as a sudden warm pair of lips attacked his neck. Turning with wide eyes, he realized Allen had curled up next to him and was wearing a very mischievous smile. His hand moved from his shoulder, down his side, and continually inching lower and lower...

"If it's all right with me..." his grandfather prodded.

"O-oh!" Lavi tried to nudge Allen away, but it only seemed to encourage him further. His hand was on his thigh. Lavi crossed his legs, shooting Allen a glowering look. "Is it all right if I just stay the night here? They seem to think I'm not capable of driving in a little snow." Allen bit his collarbone softly, causing Lavi to turn a light shade of pink. He scooted over, out of Allen's warpath, but Allen's grin only grew and he followed him, undisturbed by Lavi's efforts to quell his actions. "B-but I figure if I drive really fast then I should be fine!"

He knew that would sell it. Sure enough, he heard his grandfather sigh and could almost see him shake his head. "No, you'd better stay there. But I expect you home in the morning. Got that?"

"Yes, sir! Thank you-_ah!_" Lavi covered his mouth in his embarrassment. Allen grinned against his skin and pressed a kiss against Lavi's abused neck. Lavi cursed him mentally. _He'd better not have left a mark!_

"L-Lavi?" his grandfather sounded confused.

"Ah, sorry! I, um, just stepped on something sharp-ah! _Very_ sharp!" Lavi hissed, glaring at Allen and wishing he would disappear for a few seconds. Allen just chuckled and began kissing every inch of Lavi's face he could reach, dodging Lavi's halfhearted swats.

"Idiot. Just be home tomorrow morning."

"N-no problem! Thanks again!" Lavi said goodbye and hung up, throwing his phone onto the coffee table haphazardly. He turned to Allen, who was beaming like a kid that just scored the winning goal in a championship game. "What the hell was that, Allen?" Lavi growled, hand flying to his neck.

Allen just smirked even eviller and leaned in close. "_That_ was payback."

* * *

**Christmas with Laven :3 I loved writing this chapter! And a very Happy Birthday to our dear Lavi! (Kind of funny how it's Allen's birthday in the story. didn't mean for that to turn out the way it did but oh well! :P)Oh and why is _To Kill a Mockingbird_ the book I chose? No reason, really. It was just the first classic that popped into my head that a high school would likely read. :P continuing on, SO MANY REVIEWS! You really have no idea how happy that makes me! Thanks a bunch! :3 Next chapter is on its way! see you soon -N**


	14. Chapter 14

The rest of winter break carried on more or less like normal.

Lavi spent most of his mornings with his grandfather, days hanging out with Kanda, Lenalee, and Krory, and his nights with Allen, even though it was becoming harder and harder to meet up with him. With two weeks off, Allen was scrambling to catch up with the rest of his life and most times when Lavi came over, Allen was already asleep.

Lavi didn't necessarily mind. He knew how much of a toll all of this took on him. Yet the idiot kept thrusting _more_ homework on them! As if he didn't have enough to check already! Lavi would repeatedly tell him off, saying that he was doing nothing but making them all miserable, but Allen would just smile and say that he didn't mind.

Over the long break, Allen had assigned them a story to read and a paper to write, which irked Lavi endlessly. He had his _own_ paper to write for that damn YWA competition—and who was the one that had signed him up for that, again? Oh, yes. _Allen_.

It was the day before New Year's Eve. School started back up in three days, and Lavi still had yet to touch his English homework. He was trying to calculate just how mad his teacher would be if he didn't complete it while he was on his way to said teacher's house.

He knocked on the door, but didn't receive an answer other than Tim's persistent barks.

He slid his finger along the side of the door, looking for that one split in the frame that Allen skillfully hid the spare key in. Upon locating the silver key, he unlocked the door and opened it. Tim rushed out and pounced on him roughly, licking every inch of Lavi's face he could reach. "E-easy!" Lavi gasped, leaning out of Tim's warpath. He sneaked the key back in its hiding place and walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Teach?" Lavi called out unsurely, but quickly spotted the Brit on the couch. He had collapsed overtop the coffee table with a mess of papers and books scattered around him. There were dark shadows under his closed eyes and a light snore escaped his parted lips with each intake of air. His long white bangs obscured most of Allen's face from view.

A smile came onto Lavi's face as he removed his coat and stepped quietly over to where Allen was sleeping uncomfortably. He gently lifted Allen and placed him across the couch so that his head was at least on a softer surface. Then, he draped his coat around Allen's shoulders and pressed a kiss against his cheek before pulling back to admire the tranquil scene.

Just then, Timcanpy decided that it was a good time to leap onto the couch with as much grace as a bulldozer. Allen jerked awake at once, snapping up to scold Tim sharply. Then he noticed the coat around his torso and looked up. "L-Lavi!"

"Sorry," Lavi apologized. "I guess Tim got a bit too excited when I came in."

Allen smiled, though it looked a bit forced, and shook his head. "It's fine. I should be apologizing. I'm always asleep. We never get to spend time with each other anymore."

"I'd rather miss you while you sleep than hate you while you're awake and crabby," Lavi teased. "Besides, I wouldn't be a very good boyfriend if I didn't take care of you once in a while, now, would I?"

Allen's smile faded softly at the word boyfriend. "You're too good to me, Lavi."

Lavi took the compliment with gusto, leaning in to kiss Allen. He noticed something…different in this particular kiss. Allen seemed hesitant, worried even. Pulling away, Lavi looked at him with an inquisitive eye. "Everything okay?"

Allen snapped out of his sudden melancholy state and put on another smile, although this one didn't reach his eyes. "Everything's great! I'm just a little tired."

Lavi nodded, though he wasn't entirely convinced that Allen was being one hundred percent honest with him. "Well, if you ever need anything…you know you can lean on me, right?"

"There you go again," Allen whispered.

"Allen?" Lavi blinked. "You're kinda freaking me out here."

"Sorry." Allen sighed and wrapped his arms around Lavi, hiding his face in Lavi's chest like a small child. "Sorry."

Lavi was startled to find tears leaking from Allen's face. Frightened that he had done something to upset him, Lavi backtracked what he had said, but came up empty. Had he had a bad dream? Was this just frustration from all the work? Or had Lavi really said something wrong?

Too afraid to speak, too afraid of what he'd hear, he simply held Allen close and comforted him until he slipped back in a fitful sleep. Lavi carried him into the bedroom and placed the covers over Allen's trembling form. Was he sick?

Fear perpetrated his entire body.

Was Allen sick?

Allen was the type of person to keep something as serious as a disease or illness from a loved one so as not to make him or her worry. What if it was something serious?

He watched Allen as he slept, over scrutinizing each detail of his exhausted, sunken face.

There were shadows under eyes. Did he look paler than usual? Had he always been so fragile looking? Lavi would be sure to bring over a large dinner for him to eat later.

Suddenly, a sharp ring cut through the silence of the flat. Allen's cellphone was ringing on his bedside table. Curiously, Lavi lifted it and read the name.

**_Reever_**

Reever? That sounded suspiciously like a doctor's name!

His conscience was battling his curiosity in that moment. Half of him wanted to answer the call and ask what was exactly wrong with Allen. The other half didn't think Allen would necessarily love it if Lavi went around answering his personal calls without his permission.

Just as his hand twitched toward the cell in an attempt to answer it, the call was missed. Lavi sighed heavily, feeling somewhat relieved and frustrated all at the same time. He sat cross-legged at the end of Allen's bed for a long time, just watching him worriedly. His fear-twisted brain was trying to match up Allen's change of behavior with symptoms and illnesses.

Every now and again, Allen would flinch in his sleep and mutter inaudible words and small groans. Something was clearly affecting him. Lavi reached out and pressed his palm against Allen's forehead and withdrew it immediately. He was burning up!

At once, Lavi was on his feet and running a rag under cold water. He nearly tripped over Timcanpy on his way back into Allen's bedroom. The golden dog jumped up and lay down next to Allen with a small whimper, licking at Allen's cheek affectionately. Lavi placed the rag on Allen's forehead. Allen winced a little at the touch, but didn't wake up.

Lavi sighed and scratched Tim behind the ears. "I'm sure he'll be fine," he said to the canine, but more to his own nerves. "It's Allen, after all. He'll be fine."

Allen's phone rang once again. With a quick glance and sharp pang to his gut, Lavi saw that it was that Reever person again. Worrying his lower lip, Lavi reached for the phone but couldn't seem to lift it. He really didn't care if Allen would be mad at him for answering his call anymore. Allen could find a million reasons to be mad at Lavi if he wanted to. What stopped him now was his own fear. What if something really was wrong with Allen? Lavi wasn't sure he wanted to know.

...

"Mana!" Allen gasped, shooting up in his bed quickly. A bead of cold sweat slipped down his face, mixing with the lone tear that managed to fight its way out of Allen's eye. He took a deep breath upon seeing that he was in his bedroom and willed his heart to cease its pounding.

Rubbing a hand through his disheveled hair, he told himself firmly that he had been having a nightmare and that nothing he had just seen had been real.

But, as he caught sight of his badly scarred hand a sharp pang of reality settled in. He carried it with him every day, the memories. It felt like he was cursed.

Suddenly, Allen heard a crash coming from the living room. He perked up at the noise and grew even tenser at the sound of another's voice. "_Watch it, Tim! Come on!"_

Lavi was here?

Allen remembered. He remembered waking up on the couch to find Lavi's comforting face smiling gently, undeservingly at him. He had been so nice, so sweet, that it made Allen tear up. Allen must have fallen asleep after that and Lavi must have carried him in here. Allen felt a rush of gratitude toward the redhead for staying the whole time, even though he must have been absolutely bored.

What would he do without that annoying redhead?

He stood up, feeling a bit woozy as he did so. His legs felt weak and his body ached. Was he getting a cold? Stumbling across the floor, his smile grew on his face as he heard Lavi bustling about. By the time he reached the living room and spotted Lavi chasing Timcanpy around the couch. "Give that back, you mutt!" Lavi cried out before making a lunge after Tim, but misjudged the distance and went sliding straight into the bookshelf. Several books fell off, landing around the blithering teen rubbing his head.

"_What_ is going on here?" Allen demanded, amused.

Lavi perked up at once. "T-Teach! I—!" Another book fell onto Lavi's head. Allen tried to hide his chuckles as Lavi cursed and rose to his feet before continuing. "I didn't mean to wake you up!"

"No, it's okay. You didn't wake me up. It was…" he trailed off.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Lavi enough to tell him about Mana and these reoccurring nightmares he'd been having. It was just that Allen _couldn't _talk about it. He didn't want to look like a crying mess in front of Lavi, and he didn't want Lavi to pity him, like most people tended to do. At Mana's funeral they had all watched him with scared eyes, like he had been a fragile piece of glass that was ready to tip over and shatter. Even if he was, Allen still didn't want their pity.

"How are you feeling?" Lavi asked, uncharacteristically soft.

Allen put on the plastic smile he wore when he lied. "I'm fine. I think I'm just getting a cold. Probably got it from you, you git."

Lavi frowned. "Ah, Allen…are you…?"

"Yes, I'm _sure_, you moron. You should stop worrying about me and start worrying about how you're going to finish the homework I set for you…before…Monday…"

Lavi snapped his head up. "Teach?"

Allen held his head. Suddenly everything was spinning. He had to squeeze his eyes shut to block out some of the vertigo affecting him. He stumbled forward and thought he might fall, but something warm and hard caught him. "Allen!" Lavi's voice sounded afraid as his arms wrapped around him.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, it was gone. Allen glanced up into Lavi's wide green eye with a soft smile. "Sorry," he whispered. "Guess I lost my balance there."

Lavi's hand pressed against Allen's forehead. His touch was cool and soothing. Allen found himself closing his eyes and leaning into it. "You still have a fever," Lavi said. "Come on, get back in bed."

Allen didn't protest as Lavi guided him back into his room and thrust the covers over him once Allen climbed into bed. "Do you need anything?" Lavi asked quickly. "Water? Soup? Chicken noodle is supposed to help, right? And ginger ale? I'll go to the store. Maybe I should buy some medicine while I'm out, too?"

"Lavi!" Allen cut across him. "I'm fine! It's just a little cold. I'll be over it in no time."

Lavi pouted. "No. You stay right here."

"Where on Earth would I go?" Allen sighed, falling back into his covers, but Lavi was already out of the room, zipping through Allen's flat with improbable speeds. Allen sighed and wound his fingers into Tim's soft fur. "Just what are we going to do with him?" Allen asked Tim, who simply licked Allen's nose fondly.

Allen wasn't sure exactly when he had fallen asleep, but he was awoken by the sound of Lavi noisily letting himself in. "All right!" Lavi piped as he burst through the bedroom door with a bunch of plastic bags gathered in his arms. "I'm back!"

"Did you rob the convenient store?" Allen gaped as Lavi dropped several bags onto his bed.

Lavi just chuckled. "Do you really have that little faith in me? Of course I didn't! I cleaned out the drug store, too!" He winked.

Allen rolled his eyes but held his tongue. He knew Lavi was just trying to help. But, as Lavi began unpacking the various items he'd retrieved, Allen felt his guilt multiply with each item placed on the bed. "I've got soup galore!" Lavi exclaimed proudly. "I got the chicken noodle, of course, but I figured you'd get tired of that soon enough. So I got tomato and cream of potato and a bunch of others. Take your pick. I'll make whatever you want."

He felt immensely overwhelmed at Lavi's display of affection. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve Lavi's kindness. And Lavi didn't deserve _this_. Someone his age should be out partying with his friends or blasting away some zombies on a videogame. Lavi should be out, enjoying his life, not caring for an overworked, troubled guy like him. He was a burden, and it made him feel guilty.

Allen bit his cheek. "I'm sorry."

Lavi looked taken aback. "Uh…why are you sorry?"

"For making things so complicated for you! You're supposed to be at some party or taking some girl out on a date. Not this."

Lavi snorted. "Is that what you're worried about? Allen, don't you think if I wanted to be with some hot girl I would be?" His words stung Allen, even though they shouldn't. Lavi noticed Allen's reaction and sighed. He walked over slowly and took Allen's hand, staring down at it as he spoke. "What I _want_ is to be right here, with you. I just want you to be happy."

A sharp memory cut into his thoughts. He felt like he had received a jolt to his nerves. He heard Mana's voice in his ear.

_Listen… Allen, I just want what's best for you. You know that I lo…_

A cold sense of dread poured into Allen and he began to wonder if he was doing the right thing by being with Lavi or if he was selfishly dragging an innocent boy into a nightmare neither of them would be able to wake up from.

For the rest of the night, Allen pretended to be asleep and found himself desperately wishing that Lavi would just go away. His warm smile burned away Allen's conscience, sending him deeper and deeper into a cloud of doubt. Whereas just this morning Lavi's laugh had been a source of comfort for him, it now turned into a sharp reminder of what they were both risking.

Allen loved Lavi more than anything in the world. With that said, he was questioning whether or not Lavi was better off without him.

...

For the next three days, Lavi spent all the time he could at Allen's. While Allen's health seemed to be getting better, his mood seemed to darken with each passing hour. Lavi chalked it up to the cold Allen had gotten, but there was still the annoying sense that Allen was neglecting to tell Lavi something.

He pretended not to notice, though, and continued on with making sure that Allen got better. He even cooked. He wasn't nearly as good of a chef as Allen was, but he also couldn't eat half as much as his English teacher could. As they sat eating together, Allen suddenly brought up a topic that they barely touched.

"College?" Lavi blinked. "Why are you bringing that up?"

Allen shrugged. "I was just curious where you had applied to."

"Um…well a few places." Why was Lavi so nervous all of the sudden?

"Like?"

"Uh—let's see…um…" He glanced at Allen, who was smiling at him patiently. The look in his eyes made Lavi feel over the moon. They rarely talked about the future beyond a month or two, and when they did, Lavi usually became pretty depressed after Allen would quietly remind him that he wouldn't be teaching much longer.

He hadn't thought much about what he'd do when Allen left, but he supposed that if Allen left, say, in February then that would leave four months until the end of his senior year and summer would be around. Even if Allen wasn't able to see him during summer break, then that would only be another three months.

At most they would be apart for seven months.

That is, assuming that Lavi was accepted to his first-choice college.

He had applied to Black Order University without a moment's hesitation, despite his grandfather's questioning looks. So, the maximum amount of time they would be apart was seven months if Lavi was accepted. Even then, they had webcams and texting and email and the University was only two hours away. It wasn't like there was an entire continent or ocean splitting them up.

It could work.

"Well, I applied to Black Order University," Lavi said hurriedly and promptly chugged the rest of his drink. When he slammed the glass back on the table he had painstakingly set up to perfection, Allen was watching him, stunned.

"Y-you want to go to my school?" he gaped.

Lavi grimaced. "Don't get too excited," he mumbled sarcastically.

Allen clapped his hands together quickly. "Oh, no! I was just surprised! They have a fantastic writing program there! And there's this café right on campus that makes the absolute best coffee you'll ever have! The cafeteria is all-you-can eat and the chef is very nice! He always sneaks extra food on my plate. Oh, and you'd love the library! I've never actually been through the entire building. It's that huge!" Allen rambled on excitedly. Lavi could practically see stars in his eyes.

"You mean you'd be cool with that?"

Allen ceased his chatter. "Well, of course! I'll give you the grand tour. Oh, this will be great!"

"Well, hold on! We don't even know if I've been accepted yet!"

"Please, Lavi! You're a shoe-in! I just wish you would have told me sooner! My guardian, Cross Marian, is a dean. I can put in a good word for you, if you'd like!"

Lavi broke into a smile. "You're amazing."

Allen blushed at that. "You're crazy. But a surprisingly good cook."

"I made enough for six people, but you've cleared pretty much everything yourself."

"Oh, shut up!"

Lavi laughed, enjoying the way Allen's cheeks flared up even more. "Sorry, sorry!"

Allen glanced off to the side and bit his lower lip. Lavi raised an eyebrow. What was he thinking about? "Teach?" he questioned.

"Oh, um, it's nothing. I'm fine!" Allen said softly. He smiled reassuringly at Lavi, who knew he had just been lied to. They fell into an awkward silence. Lavi was busy trying to find out what had changed between them. Before, they didn't let anything or anyone keep them apart. They had a great time together. But lately, things were…different.

Allen wouldn't tell him what was bothering him. He kept to himself and treated Lavi like a little kid. It made Lavi frustrated and a bit hurt. He glanced up to see Allen picking at the contents of his plate, looking melancholy at best.

Lavi frowned and tried to think of what he could possibly do to fix things.

The day before school started back up, Lavi called Allen. "Hello?" Allen sounded tired and worn.

"Hey!" Lavi grinned. "I've got nothing to do today so do you want to go see a movie or something?"

"Oh…" Allen trailed off. "Um, actually, Lavi, I'm a little busy."

"Busy? You work too much! Take the day off!"

"N-no, I mean I…uh…look, I just can't. Not today. I'm sorry."

Lavi couldn't help the bubble of disappointment rise up in his chest. "Oh."

"Sorry."

"N-no, it's fine! I'll just call Kanda or Krory!" Lavi forced a laugh. "I'll see you early tomorrow morning, then? To work on the paper?"

Allen sighed. "Of course you will. I'm your teacher, aren't I?"

Something about the way he said those things unsettled Lavi. "Yeah…well, work hard, I guess. Love you!"

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

Lavi hung up, feeling even worse than before. Allen hadn't even said he loved him too. What was up with him lately? "If he would just _talk_ to me!" he growled to no one.

He started to feel a bit angry. He wasn't a child! He was seventeen!

He supposed he would just wait until tomorrow morning.

...

Lavi yawned as he made his way to first period English the next morning. It was too early for him to have complete control over his movements. His legs seemed to move themselves in a mechanical march as he somehow found his way into the classroom. He had made a habit of showing up early to school to see Allen, but it had been particularly painful waking up at five-thirty this morning to get there an hour earlier than the rest of the kids. Lavi couldn't stay after school today, so they were meeting before. It wasn't much time, but it was better than nothing. The deadline was coming up soon so every minute counted.

He yawned again as he opened the door of his English classroom. He could already picture Allen sitting at his desk, looking over a bunch of papers, sipping on a cup of coffee that made the whole room feel kind and cozy, and smiling up happily at Lavi with such warmth that it brightened up his whole day. A small smile made his way on his face. Things had been weird for them lately, but Lavi still got butterflies in his stomach each time he went to go see Allen.

But when he opened the door, it was dark.

Lavi blinked as he flicked on the lights. Allen's chair was empty and there was no sign that the Brit had been here since the day break started. It wasn't very often that Lavi arrived there before Allen, and Allen would usually love to tease Lavi for his constant streak of lateness.

He shrugged and went to his seat, thinking Allen would show up soon. Timcanpy had probably taken his keys again. He grinned and pulled out his notebook, absentmindedly scribbling in the corner of the page.

Ten minutes passed and Lavi sighed. He was really running late today! He thought he heard footsteps approaching and he straightened up with the expression that was like an excited puppy. But when they just passed, he assumed that it must have been someone else and went back to his doodling.

Each second felt like an eternity. He tapped his pencil impatiently, starting to get a little worried. The minutes inched past. Lavi's eyelids drooped sleepily but he forced himself to watch the clock diligently. He wondered if it was broken. The hands were moving way too slow.

An entire half-hour had passed before Lavi thought of calling Allen. He went to reach for his cell in his bag, but didn't find it in his bag. Realizing he had forgotten it on his desk back at home, he sighed and went back to staring at the clock like it was a life preserver and he was stranded in the sea.

His foot tapped quickly against the floor. "Come _on_, Allen!" he growled in frustration.

He waited the entire hour, watching that clock. But when seven o'clock came and Allen had yet to show up, Lavi gritted his teeth and stood up, the chair scraping against the tile flooring loudly. He was done waiting.

Just as he flung his bag angrily over his shoulder, the door opened and Allen Walker entered, holding a travel mug of coffee and a stack of books. He saw Lavi and his eyes widened in surprise. "Lavi?" He blinked.

Lavi scowled at him, crossing his arms. "Where the hell were you?!"

Allen looked even more lost. "Uh, home?"

"H-home…?" Lavi trailed off, feeling something break. "Y-you idiot! I _waited_ and _waited_ for you to show up! Remember? We were supposed to work on the paper!"

Allen's face widened and he slapped his forehead. "Ah! I completely forgot!"

"You _forgot_?" Lavi growled.

"Lavi, I'm so sorry! It's not like I intentionally skipped our meeting, okay?"

Lavi paused. He hadn't even thought of that. "Intentionally…?"

"No! Of course not! I'm sorry, Lavi. I've just had so much on my mind lately. I haven't really been very kind to you, have I?" He smiled softly, nervously.

Lavi huffed, still upset. "Whatever! I can finish this stupid paper on my own anyways! It's not like I was worried about you or anything!"

Allen suddenly broke into laughter, which only proved to worsen Lavi's mood. "I don't see what's so funny!"

Allen covered his mouth but didn't stop chuckling. "S-sorry! I don't mean to laugh! It's just…you reminded me of when we first met right there!"

Lavi rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said again, tossing his nose up for emphasis. "I gotta go to my locker."

"Can you stay after at all tonight? I can help you with the paper after school if you like."

Lavi frowned, stopped, but didn't look back. "No, I already told you. I can't."

"Then tomorrow?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. Sure. Tomorrow."

Just as Lavi went to grab the door handle, Allen reached out and grabbed his hand instead. Lavi looked up into Allen's soft smiling face. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'll make this up to you. I promise."

Lavi was unimpressed. "And how are you planning to do that?"

And—for the hundredth time—Allen surprised him with a kiss. He had a habit of doing that. Lavi kissed him back, already forgetting what he was mad about. _Oh right. Allen forgot our meeting. That ass. And since when does he put chocolate in his coffee?_

Suddenly, the classroom door opened forcefully, striking Lavi in the back of the head roughly. Lavi broke away from the kiss with a cry, hands flying up to hold the wound. "OOW! OW OW OW!"

"C-calm down!" Allen shouted, reaching out.

"_Hell._ I do _not_ want to see that ever again!" a sneering voice huffed behind Lavi.

Lavi turned to glare at the person that just rammed the edge of the door into his head. "KANDA!" he roared. "OW!"

Kanda huffed again, crossing arms. "Idiot. You shouldn't stand in doorways then."

"What the hell are you even doing here?" Lavi cried, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "And why the hell do you open doors so violently?!"

"I was looking for you!" He gritted his teeth. "I figured you'd be in here. By the way, you may want to lock the door next time you fool around with that short stack over there." He jerked his thumb in Allen's direction.

"Sh-short stack?!" Allen gaped, cheeks red with anger. "How dare you! I'm still your teacher, you know! I could give you detention for that!"

"Fine. Then I'm go straight to Komui and tell him about the very indecent thing I saw Mr. Walker doing with a student this morning!" Kanda grinned maliciously. There was a glint to his eye that made Lavi take a step back. He waved his hands at Kanda, shaking his head, in an effort to cut him off, but the damage had been done.

Allen stepped forward, glaring with just as much malevolence as Kanda. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"

Kanda's grin widened. "Well, it's working, isn't it?"

Lavi gulped as the room took on a darker feel. Allen and Kanda locked gazes, silently daring the other to start something. Lavi laughed nervously and put himself in between his boyfriend and his best friend. "Okay, cool it, you guys! Class is gonna start soon!"

Kanda grunted indifferently. "Whatever. I'm going to my locker. You're both idiots." And he left.

Lavi sighed once he was gone. That had been close. He turned back to Allen, who crossed his arms defiantly, but his face was much softer. "Is your head okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's fine." Lavi rubbed the sizable lump on his head that was beginning to form.

"Good. So…tomorrow after school?"

"I'll be there." He nodded and Allen's smile grew. Lavi gritted his teeth. He pointed a finger accusingly at him. "But I'm still super pissed at you!"

Allen laughed and ushered Lavi out of the room. "Yeah, yeah. Now get your things or you'll be late!"

"Would you really write up your own boyfriend?" Lavi teased.

The look on Allen's face clearly told Lavi that he would.

Lavi sighed as he made his way down the hall and Allen retreated back into his room. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering why relationships were so damn _hard_.

* * *

**Whew! It was a pain to write this. Like UGH. But I finally got it to a point where I was satisfied enough with it to publish. Anyways, as always thanks soo much for reading! :3 and for being so kind in your reviews! The next chapter is a big one (hides) see you soon? -N **


	15. Chapter 15

"Calm down!" Allen sighed, holding his forehead. "I can't even understand what you're saying! _What's_ wrong?"

"They moved the deadline!" Lavi flapped his arms desperately. "For the YWA paper!"

Allen blinked. "They've never done that before! Are you sure?"

Lavi nodded frantically, eyes shining worriedly. "What am I gonna do?! It's not done! The ending isn't even written yet! AGH!" His hands went flying to his hair.

Allen reached out, grabbed them, and held them in his lap. "Relax! When's the new date?"

"Next Friday! We only have nine days!"

"That's more than enough time!" Allen assured happily. "We'll just have to find a way to meet more."

"It would help if you actually answered my texts once in a while," Lavi muttered dryly.

Allen sighed and leaned back in his chair, dropping Lavi's hands in favor of crossing his arms disdainfully. "Do you seriously want to fight right now?"

Lavi scowled and turned away angrily but didn't push the matter any further, much to Allen's relief. Lately they had been fighting a lot. It was mostly about stupid things. Anything could set them off. They would just bicker back and forth until one of them got tired and just apologized without fully meaning it. They were strained, and Kanda's loudmouth wasn't helping.

Lavi even stopped pranking altogether. Allen had to admit he would much rather have the harmless, affectionate jokes pulled on him than the stone cold silence he received now.

When Komui mentioned in passing that Allen wouldn't have to be staying for much longer during one of their tutoring sessions, Lavi's mood had hit an all-time low.

"It would only be until summer anyways, remember?" Allen had tried to reason with him. "Plus, the university isn't that far from here. I could drive down on a weekend or you could come up with me."

"We barely see each _now_ and we live five minutes apart," Lavi had protested. "I miss you after a few days! How am I going to handle a few _weeks_?"

"You'll manage. You'll be so busy that you won't even have time to miss me."

Allen could tell that Lavi hadn't entirely believed him but he had let the conversation drop.

Lavi sighed and rested his chin on his arms folded on the desk. "What am I gonna do?" he muttered helplessly.

Allen's annoyance fluttered away at his dispirited state. He sat on the edge of Lavi's desk, placing a hand on the teen's back comfortingly. "Well, it's not like you're doing this all alone! With the two of us, we'll make a kick ass paper!"

Lavi smiled weakly up at him. "Yeah. Sure."

"I'm serious! We can do this, Lavi. _You_ can do this."

Lavi's smile became more hopeful, more genuine, and he nodded gently. His green eye were beginning to have that lively spark again. Just seeing it was enough to lift Allen's own spirits. He squeezed Lavi's shoulder. "All right! So, let's get to work, shall we?"

Lavi nodded again, but didn't lift his head off of his desk. Allen paid him no mind and began to arrange the papers neatly on his own desk, making room to work. For a moment, they sat in silence with Lavi looking at nothing in particular, but looking less than encouraged. Allen, on the other hand, had a small smile lingering on his face. He didn't mind the quiet at all. It was refreshing after the last week of being at each other's throats.

"Hey, Allen?" Lavi whispered suddenly, so softly that Allen almost thought he had imagined it.

The sound of Lavi using his real name was what caught Allen's attention. He only did that when he was being serious. Usually it was "Teach" or some goofy pet name he had invented like "babe" or "sugar bear" or even the dreaded "Allie." Allen pushed the horror-thoughts out of his mind. "Hm? What is it?"

"It's just that…" he trailed off, sinking somehow further into his slouching position. "You're…you're happy, right?"

Allen blinked, feeling a little nervous. "What are you talking about?"

Lavi tensed, cheeks tinting pink. "With the way things are now. You're happy being with…with me?"

It struck Allen at that moment just how young Lavi really was. As far as he knew, Lavi had never had a serious relationship before, and Allen's own relationships hadn't measured up to this. He had never had someone willing to risk everything just to _be_ with him or to care for him while he was sick. He never had someone that needed him just as much Allen needed him.

With all of the fighting they'd been having lately, Lavi must be feeling rather guilty. But Allen was equally, if not more, to blame for their current rocky state. He frowned. Guilt of his own squeezed at his chest, wringing his conscience into a state of remorse.

"What kind of question is that?" he huffed, straightening the pages in his hand. "I'm with an idiotic redhead with a loud mouth and an even louder fashion statement that apparently thinks it's hilarious to repeatedly spray Silly String on my car before school starts." Lavi winced. Allen continued before his boyfriend's frown, and Allen's own regret, could deepen. "So how could I _not_ be happy?"

Finally, Lavi lifted his head, glaring at Allen questioningly. "Huh?"

Allen smiled. "Lavi, honestly, how could you ever think I wasn't happy being with you?"

"W-well…" Lavi rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just that…you're always smiling but it doesn't always feel…_real_. Like you're forcing it. And I know you're hiding something from me! I can see it in your eyes. I didn't want to force you to tell my anything but I...I thought maybe you were beginning to regret…"

"Bollocks," Allen scolded and grabbed Lavi's chin to be sure that that single green eye was looking straight at him. Lavi was blushing very noticeably now. "There are many things I feel when I'm with you—happy, amazed, excited, _confused_—but I have never once regretted a single thing that happened between you and I. Unless you count regretting that we didn't meet sooner or for making you so worried. I _love_ you, Lavi. I really, really mean that." He moved his hand to cup Lavi's cheek. "So what about you? Are you happy?"

Lavi grabbed Allen's wrist with both of his hands at once, nodding frantically. "I've never been happier!" he asserted. "Before you…before you I didn't even think someone could _be_ this happy!"

"Then what are we fretting over?" Allen smiled.

"Something stupid, probably." Lavi grinned cheekily. "So…we're okay?"

"We're better than that, love."

"Ugh. I hate when you call me that."

Allen laughed and leaned over to press a quick, chaste kiss on those pouting lips. That was when Allen realized _this—_his relationship with the troublesome student he had started tutoring on a whim—went deeper than he had ever prepared for. It wasn't just a scandalous fling or a temporary affair. It was love.

He did his best to convey his emotions through his body's actions, hoping that Lavi got the point. When he pulled away, he saw to his delight that Lavi was now a furious shade of pink. Allen enjoyed watching Lavi blush. He hadn't done that since before they got together. Nostalgia overcame him as he thought of those days they spent intentionally changing their routes in the hallway to avoid one another. And suddenly all Allen could think of was kissing Lavi again.

He smirked as a rather risky and uncharacteristic idea struck him. He stood up, straightening his tie. "You know, it's getting late. The paper can wait. We still have nine days."

Lavi gaped at him, looking forlorn. "Are you serious?! It's only four o'clock! I wanna get this done, Teach!"

Allen's wicked smile only grew. "We've both had a pretty stressful week, don't you think? I think we can afford to take one little night off to relieve some of that stress. There's one thing in particular that comes to mind."

"Well, sure, but I still—oh." Lavi stopped, eyes widening and cheeks reddening again as Allen's underlying meaning rooted in his brain. "_Oh_!"

Allen snorted, thoroughly amused, and altogether not surprised, at Lavi's reaction. "Grab your coat."

"Wait…_now_?!"

"Don't think I can wait much longer."

"Oh," was all Lavi said. "Aha…we should get going, then?" He looked nervous. Allen thought it was unbearably cute.

"Hold on!" Allen held his hand up, thinking. No matter how dirty his thoughts were, he would _not_ risk his relationship with Lavi, especially now. "We can't leave together. It's too suspicious. There are still teachers and coaches and students here. Not to mention Komui. You leave first. Walk to that gas station a few blocks down. I'll leave here in five minutes and go to pick you up. Got it?"

Lavi nodded dutifully. "Roger!"

"Good. But before you go…" Allen eyed the scarf that Lavi was currently putting on—_Allen's_ scarf! He yanked on it, pulling Lavi over to him, and kissed him with a sort of passion that he didn't even know he _had_. That would certainly give Lavi something to dream over as he made his merry way to the gas station. Allen smirked to himself and pulled away, loving the look on Lavi's unfocussed face. "Now…get going!"

"Hm…?" Lavi hummed distractedly. "Oh! Right!" He straightened his scarf and flashed a smile. Just before he left, he stopped and turned back, grinning goofily. "What's gotten into you all of the sudden?"

"Just go."

"Yessir!"

As Lavi bolted out the door, Allen realized that that might have been the first time the redhead had ever actually done what Allen told him to without a fight.

...

It took Lavi all of five minutes to get to the gas station. He decided to wait inside the store, as the weather had turned bitter cold—much colder than Lavi was dressed for.

He pretended to browse the shelves but he honestly didn't think he ever read one label. His eyes kept flashing out the windows, keeping an eye out for Allen. His foot was tapping the ground anxiously, impatiently. It was the Brit's idea to do this, now where was he? First Allen had been all encouraging and apologetic and then all of the sudden became lovey and affectionate. For Allen to suggest that they skip work in favor of something else—_especially _something like this!—was so unexpected that it had taken Lavi a few dimwitted seconds to piece together what he had actually meant!

His foot thumped against the floor a little faster.

"Lavi?"

That voice was a mood-killer if Lavi ever heard one. Every thought he had, dirty or not, flew out the window as he turned rigidly around. "Aha…Gramps?"

Lavi's grandfather stood blinking at him, his grey tuft of a hairstyle defying gravity as usual. His surprise melted into suspicion. "I thought you had detention after school today. It's barely past four. What are you doing here?"

Lavi gulped. What kind of sick humor did the Universe have? "Um…well…uh…Mr. Walker had a meeting and so he rescheduled it for tomorrow!" It wasn't completely a lie. Allen really _did_ have to go meet someone—it just so happened that that someone was Lavi.

"So what are you doing here?"

"G-getting…" He glanced around at the shelves desperately. He spotted cookies and ran with the idea. He lunged for them, scooping up several packages hurriedly. "Cookies!" he laughed nervously. "A lot of cookies!"

His grandfather didn't look amused. Lavi gulped again. "S-so what are _you_ doing here?" _And when are you going to LEAVE?_

"I was getting gas and a pack of gum."

"Gum, huh? Trying to quit smoking _again_?"

His grandfather glared at him sharply. "Don't be smart with me. Anyways, after this I'm heading home. Get in the car. I'll drive you."

"N-no!" Lavi said a little too quickly. His grandfather stopped and peered at him. Crap. Now he sounded suspicious and crazy. "I mean…I was actually going to go to the library after this!"

"You? Library?" He looked impressed and a little pleased, albeit confused. "Well, I can take you there. It's on the way. It's too cold for you to be walking everywhere, anyways."

"Uh…" he trailed off, jumping when his phone started buzzing. He dug out his phone and blanched when he saw the name.

"Allen?" his grandfather read. "Who's Allen?"

"J-just a friend!" Lavi piped. He ignored the call and glanced out the window. He recognized Allen's car. Lavi cursed in his head again and again. The old Panda knew who Mr. Walker was and what he looked like. He had met him briefly during the few times he picked Lavi up from "detention."

He quickly sent a text to Allen, turning slightly so his grandfather couldn't read it.

**_Change of plans. Meet me at the library. I'll explain there!  
_**

"Well, you ready to go?"

Lavi nodded. "Uh, yeah. Let's go!"

His grandfather took a few steps forward. "Wait, are you going to buy those?" He pointed to the hoard of cookies in Lavi's arms, which Lavi looked down at disdainfully.

"R-right…yeah…"

After he bought them all, getting a strange look from the cute girl behind the counter and a cold glare from his grandfather, they left the gas station. Lavi was relieved that Allen's car was gone. He climbed into the passenger seat and tried his hardest not to look nervous.

The ride was spent in an uncomfortable silence. His grandfather would ask a few questions and Lavi would give him short, vague answers. When they finally made it to the library, his grandfather leaned forward and glared out the windshield. "Say…isn't that your English teacher walking into the library now?"

Lavi cursed again. "Aha…where? I don't see him!"

"Well, he had white hair. He's the only one I know that's not my age and has that color of hair."

"I think your eyes are going bad, Gramps!" Lavi laughed, opening the door, desperate to get out of that car. "Anyways, thanks for the ride!"

"Yeah, yeah. Call me when you're done here, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing!" Lavi grinned and went to close the door.

"Don't forget your cookies," his grandfather muttered dryly.

"Um, I'm pretty sure they don't allow food in the library."

"Too bad. You bought them. Now you're stuck with them!" He thrust the plastic bag at Lavi and, after telling Lavi to call him later again, Lavi closed the door and he drove off. Lavi waited until he could no longer see the car before letting out all the air in his lungs he didn't know he had been holding.

He turned and entered the library. Now he had to face Allen.

It was easy to spot him. He smiled and, tactfully hiding the bag from the librarian's prying eyes, walked to the aisle Allen was in. He turned, so they were conspicuously facing back to back. It was very possible that other people from the high school could be lurking about, so Lavi tried to make it look as unintended as possible. Other than the smile that appeared on Allen's face, he didn't give any sign that he noticed Lavi had come.

Lavi sighed, picking up a book at random. "I don't think I keep up with this sneaking around thing…" He laughed.

"We won't have to soon enough," Allen reminded him quietly, still looking in his own book. Then he sneaked a glance over his shoulder. "By the way…what's with all the junk food?"

Lavi sighed. "I ran into my grandfather at the gas station."

Oddly, Allen began to giggle. "And how does that factor into you buying a mountain of…what are those? Cookies?"

"It was the only thing I could think of on the spot like that!" Lavi defended, turning to face Allen. "He asked why I wasn't in detention so I told him you had a meeting. Then he asked why I was there so I told him…"

"That you had a sudden craving for six packages of Oreos?" Allen laughed.

Lavi scowled. "Hey, I was saving your butt!"

"You're right. Sorry. I shouldn't laugh."

"But you're still laughing!"

Allen tried to hide his smile, but failed miserably. "Oh, whatever. We have more important matters to attend to, as it were."

"Huh?"

Allen rolled his eyes. "Subtle implications mean nothing to do, do they? Why did we go through all of this in the first place?"

"_Oh_. Right!"

Allen pulled at Lavi's arm. "Let's go."

Lavi didn't really have any complaints as Allen dragged him back outside as fast as was publicly acceptable and marched for his car. Once Lavi had situated himself in the passenger seat, he decided he may as well help himself to these pesky snacks he had bought. Allen rolled his eyes at him and started the engine. "You had better not leave crumbs in my car!"

Lavi only laughed and promised he wouldn't. "Want one?" he asked, offering the package.

Allen gave him an exasperated look but nonetheless took one as they stopped at a red light. By the time it flashed green, half of the package was gone. "Sheesh, I'm sorry I asked." Lavi blinked.

Finally, they reached Allen's place. Lavi felt his cheeks flare up. He knew he shouldn't be so nervous, especially now. But as Allen shot him a very suggestive look and all but kicked open his door, Lavi hugged his cookies a little closer and gulped. He channeled his bravery into place and climbed out of his own door, slamming it closed determinedly.

He ran to catch up to Allen, who was fumbling with his keys to unlock the door, and wrapped his arms behind him, pressing kisses to the back of his neck. To Lavi's immense amusement, Allen dropped the keys and had to duck down to retrieve them, red as a tomato.

Once Allen had gotten the door open, he pushed Lavi in. The next thing he knew he was pinned up against the front door, now closed somehow, and Allen was kissing him. One minute he was wearing his coat and the next it was laying on the living room floor with his discarded plastic bag. Time didn't make sense anymore.

Lavi wasn't sure when they had ended up in the hallway, or where Allen's jacket had gone, or when he had kicked off his shoes. But he didn't really care. The feel of Allen's lips against his was enough for him. Allen smiled against his lips and then started laughing.

Lavi broke away, breathing heavily. "Wh-what?"

"You have some crumbs on your chin," Allen chuckled and wiped them away. "Honestly, you're such a child."

Lavi frowned. A child?! "I'll show you!" he growled and rushed forward to kiss Allen a little rougher than he meant to. Allen gasped as their teeth clinked together but moaned into his mouth. They stumbled back, walking blindly through the hall until they somehow managed to get into Allen's room. Lavi kicked door closed behind him. He _really_ didn't want Timcanpy to sneak in during this.

Their clothes were quickly disappearing across the room. They fell recklessly onto the bed, never breaking from their embrace. Allen pushed off Lavi's bandana, letting his hair fall free, and traced the small scar on his forehead. Lavi felt completely magnetized to the stormy cloud color of his eyes. "I love you!" Lavi blurted out suddenly. "I love you I love you I love you!"

Allen smiled softly, reaching up to hold Lavi's cheek. For a moment, they watched one another. Lavi tried to etch each detail of Allen's face into his memory. He never wanted to forget this moment.

Then, Allen kissed him. It wasn't like their kisses in the hallway. This one was full of love and promise. Lavi kissed back, hoping that his actions would tell him what his words couldn't, hoping that Allen could feel the absolute devotion he was pledging to him forever.

...

As Lavi got dressed, Allen was in the bathroom, washing up. Lavi could hear the sound of the water running as he pulled on his shirt and began to button it carelessly. He had buttoned it wrong and was about to fix it when suddenly Allen's cell began to ring. Lavi glanced over at it and stopped.

**_Reever_**

Lavi bit the inside of his cheek. Even though he wasn't mad at Allen anymore, the curiosity to find out what that annoying Brit could be hiding from him was burning away at his conscience. He glanced quickly at the bathroom door, still closed, and the shower was still running. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Lavi reached out and grabbed Allen's phone, darting out into the hallway before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" an unfamiliar voice greeted him. "Um, Allen?"

"This is Lavi. Allen's-er-busy."

"Ah. I see. You must be that guy he won't shut up about. Lavi, was it?"

"Yes, um, who—?"

"I'm Allen's friend from college. Well, we met in middle school, but we've been friends ever since. Anyways, I just wanted to see if he was all right lately because, well, you know…"

"Know what?" Lavi blinked, feeling a bit nauseous. "What's wrong with him?"

"So he never told you? Doesn't surprise me. He doesn't like to talk about him much."

"Who?" Whoa. Lavi felt a bit possessive. Who was _him_? Why was there another _him_ being brought into the conversation?!

"Mana."

"Mana?"

"Allen's father. Well, foster father." Well, now Lavi felt like an ass. "How…how is he?"

"Allen?" Lavi's eye wandered over to the bathroom door. "He's…he seemed really depressed about something. I thought he might be overworked or sick or something, but he wasn't really himself for a while." Lavi thought of their recent escapade. "Well, he still really isn't."

Reever sighed. "Man…I probably shouldn't tell you this, but…it's the tenth anniversary of Mana's death. They were both involved in a pretty nasty car accident. I'm sure you've seen the scars on his face and arm, right? He sustained those in the crash. But, Mana didn't survive. Allen never really got past it. He blames himself relentlessly for what happened. It's why he wants to be a doctor, you know. So he can save people from that kind of pain."

Lavi couldn't find his voice. When he finally did, it came out weak and heavy. "I…had no idea."

"I'm just glad he's not alone. And by the way, don't tell him I told you all this. Like I said, he doesn't like to talk about it."

"Sure thing. Thank you for telling me."

"Well, Allen sure seems to like you a lot. The way he talks about you…you'd think you were the President's kid or something. All he does is talk about how talented and caring you are."

"Aha…" Lavi laughed nervously, mentally kicking himself. "He said that?"

"Yeah. And one more thing, Lavi."

"Yeah?"

"Allen can be…hesitant. He doesn't normally let people in, especially as quickly as he did for you. He hasn't really had anyone so close to him since Mana died. He must really, really like you if he's already let you in. Just keep that in mind, kay?"

"R-right! Thank you, Reever. I'll tell him you called."

"All right. I'm going to go now. I guess I'll be seeing you around?"

"Yeah. Sure thing."

Lavi hung up and suddenly the phone felt immensely heavy in his hand. He began to wonder why Allen never told Lavi about Mana. He supposed it wasn't entirely fair of him to feel so strongly about when Lavi had never told Allen about his parents, nor had Allen ever asked.

He supposed some things were just better left unsaid.

Now that he knew, he couldn't help the relief that spread through his body. Lavi smiled despite the horrible news of his lover's past, purely grateful that Allen wasn't sick or dying or that Allen wasn't thinking of leaving Lavi.

He walked back into the bedroom and had just placed the phone back where he had found it when Allen exited the bathroom in his robe, drying his white hair with a towel. Lavi felt a rush of affection for Allen as he watched him, Reever's words ringing in his head.

In four large strides, Lavi was in front of Allen. He cupped his cheeks and, before Allen could question him, pressed a long kiss to his lips. He put his entire heart and soul into that kiss, desperately trying to prove to Allen that he was not alone and he wouldn't be alone ever again.

When Lavi finally pulled away, Allen's cheeks were pink and he was blinking rapidly. Lavi could only laugh at his expression. He couldn't help it. He was just so _happy_.

As Lavi finished dressing, Allen was begging him to stay. It was hard to say no to those pouting lips, but he knew his grandfather was probably steaming at this point. "Now who's acting like a child?" Lavi teased, kissing him lightly.

Allen glared but fell back against the bed in defeat. "Then let yourself out. I'm too tired to move."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Lavi smirked. "Oh, and by the way, I meant to tell you earlier but…I got in."

"Hm?" Allen hummed sleepily, pressing his face further into his pillow. "In where?"

"Black Order University. I got in."

Allen's eyes snapped open. An excited smile appeared on his face as he flew up, suddenly very full of energy, and hugged Lavi tightly. "Lavi, that's great! I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!"

"Well…" Lavi coughed into his hand embarrassedly. "You know…I couldn't have gotten in without you…"

"Nonsense. All I did was give you a bit of encouragement. All of the actual talent came from you."

"But you were the first one to do that," Lavi continued, "to encourage me to do anything. Usually teachers would just nag or tell me what I did _wrong_, and never what was right. But you…" Lavi shook his head, letting his sentence remain unfinished.

"Are you sure you can't stay?" Allen sighed, resting his head on Lavi's shoulder.

Lavi laughed, kissing his hair. "No, I really do have to go."

"Fine. You're probably right."

"I know I am. So…see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. To really work on your paper this time!" Allen told him sternly.

"This was _your_ idea!" Lavi pointed accusingly. "Don't try to pin it on me!"

"Oh, whatever!"

Lavi laughed, pressed one last kiss against Allen's lips, and said goodnight. It took an immense amount of willpower to walk out of Allen's apartment, but soon he was outside and pleased to see that the sun was shining in the late evening, warming up the cold air a bit. He stumbled down the walkway with a dreamy smile, thankful that the library was only a short walk away.

"L-LAVI?"

Lavi stopped and looked for the source of the sudden, shrill voice. His eyes fell on a guy standing a few feet away at a mailbox, holding a bunch of letters. Lavi's mouth dropped open. "Bak?!"

Slowly, a faded memory came back to Lavi, from the first day Allen had ever taught at their school. He vaguely remembered hearing that Bak and Allen were neighbors.

Shit.

Lavi looked at his own appearance, suddenly cursing that he hadn't fixed himself up a little better before leaving the apartment. His shirt was buttoned all wrong, his bandana hung carelessly around his neck, his hair stuck out messily, his shoes weren't even fully on, and his guilty expression certainly wasn't helping, either.

Bak just gaped at him, equally as shocked, and Lavi could practically see him putting together all the pieces. Suddenly, Lavi heard the door open behind him and, to his horror, Allen ran out, dressed in only a bathrobe and looking just as mussed as Lavi was. "Lavi!" he shouted. "You forgot your scarf in the bed—_ah_!" Allen skidded to a halt upon seeing Bak, who was a brilliant shade of red at his point. Lavi thought he even saw hives breaking out on his skin.

Allen gulped, looking at Lavi with wide eyes. Lavi only stared at him. For once, he couldn't speak. Allen thrust the scarf into Lavi's rigid arms and in a very unconvincing, squeaky voice yelled, "A-and don't let me ever catch you trying to prank me at my own home again!"

His attempt to save them went unheard by Lavi and Bak, who just stood there, dumbfounded. Allen backed up a few steps before turning and fleeing back into his apartment faster than Lavi had ever seen him move. The door slammed closed, startling Lavi from his paralysis.

He turned to Bak, who was beet red and frozen solid, and put on a nervous, shaky grin. He rubbed the back of his head and laughed loudly, anxiously. "Aha, s-see you tomorrow, then!" he shouted and did what any other person in that situation would do.

He got the hell out of there.

...

The next few days were utter chaos.

Lavi and Allen worked endlessly on the paper, but Lavi still wasn't completely happy with it, no matter how many times Allen assured it him it was brilliant. With Friday's deadline fast approaching, Lavi was beginning to feel the pressure piling up. But, Allen was supportive and critical at the same time. He helped tirelessly despite his own work that needed to be done. They met whenever they could, even taking to working through lunch. He was Lavi's rock during this crazy experience, and Lavi was so grateful for each second that Allen set aside just for him.

Added on to that, Bak broke into hives every time he saw either Allen or Lavi and no matter when Lavi tracked him down in an effort to talk and explain, Bak always managed to elude him. Bak would be walking down the hall, spot Lavi, who would shout and wave to him, and freeze like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hey, Bak! Hold on a second!" Lavi would shout before Bak fled down the hallway, pushing aside anyone in his way.

Their predicament met its climax Thursday, the day before the paper was due, during Lunch. Lavi thought he would finally be able to corner Bak in the lunch line. He spotted the blonde mulling over the side choices and went for it. He quietly and casually sneaked up to Bak and leaned against the counter. "What's up?" he said cheerfully.

Bak jumped violently and he looked tremulously at Lavi. At once, he was looking for an escape route, but no matter how Bak tried to brush past him, Lavi blocked him.

"Look, Bak, I just want to talk!" Lavi pleaded as he continued to step side to side like some strange dance in an effort to prevent him from fleeing. "About the other night—"

Bak suddenly shouted loudly and plugged his ears with his hands. "LA-LA-LA-LAA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Lavi rolled his eyes and pulled Bak's hands away. "Stop fooling around! Just let me explain!"

"No!" Bak cried, shaking his head. "I don't want to hear it! I don't want to know!"

"Fine! But just, please, promise me that you won't tell anyone! We're friends, right?"

Bak glared at him. "We haven't talked all year!"

"But we've never fought either!" Lavi grinned hopefully. "Look, Bak, I'm begging you! Just keep this between us!"

Bak glanced guiltily down at the tiled floor and didn't respond. Then, he caught Lavi off guard and broke free, running frantically into the cafeteria. "BAK!" Lavi called after him. "Dammit!" he growled and chased after him. "Come on, Bak!" Lavi yelled. "You're making a scene!" he added when he realized all of the stares they were getting from their classmates.

"I don't care!" Bak yelled. "Stay away!"

He ran out of the cafeteria and into the hall with a frantic scream that echoed in the halls. Lavi slowed to a stop and held his head. This was turning into a fiasco. He looked at the confused students and laughed nervously, waving them off. "He's been stressing over midterms. You know how it is! Been drinking too many energy drinks while pulling all-nighters studying! I'd better go check on him!" He laughed again before darting out the door, following the direction Bak had run.

"BAK!" Lavi shouted angrily once he was in the hall.

He spotted Bak doubled over by a row of lockers, catching his breath. Lavi rushed at him. By the time Bak saw him coming, it was too late. Lavi had him pushed against the lockers. "Let me go!" he pleaded. "Don't kill me!"

Lavi sighed. "Honestly, Bak, I'm not going to hurt you! I just want to talk! Got it?"

Bak nodded but didn't say anything. Lavi rolled his eyes and started. "Look, Bak, I know it doesn't make much sense, but you have to trust me when I say it's not what you think! Er—entirely what you think, at least!"

"Y-you were _with_ Mr. Walker!" Bak blurted out. "I-I thought you _hated_ each other! But you—you were—!"

"I know, I know!" Lavi shouted over him. "But, please, you can't tell _anyone_! Alle—Mr. Walker will lose his job if you do and I'm not worth that!" Lavi released Bak and stepped back to bow down and press his hands together pleadingly. "_Please!_"

Bak fidgeted uneasily on his feet. "I…I don't know…"

Suddenly, something fell out of Bak's pocket. Bak became as still as a statue as it settled onto the granite floor. A piece of paper? Lavi realized with a start that it was a picture of Lenalee. A devilish smirk appeared on his face. "I'll help you out with Lenalee!" he said excitedly.

"Wh-what?" Bak blushed. "N-no, I—!"

"Oh, come on! If you keep my secret, I'll help you out with her! We've been friends for years! I know what she likes and doesn't like! But…if you don't…I'll tell the whole school you're stalking Lenalee!"

"S-s-stalking?!" Bak blanched, shaking his head. "Nononono! I'm not stalking her! I just—"

"Bak!" Lavi whined. "Seriously, dude! Will you just promise me that you won't tell anyone? I'll do anything!"

Bak bit his lip and looked away again. "U-uh…well, I…um, the thing is…"

"What?"

"I sort of…already told someone…"

Lavi's heart skipped. He reached out and grabbed Bak's shirt, pulling him close roughly. "Who?"

Bak flinched. "M-Mr. Lee!"

Lavi felt like everything around him came crashing down in an instant. "Y-you told…" He released Bak, who stumbled back. Lavi held his head, unable to believe it. "You told Komui? N-no…you're lying! Tell me you didn't!"

Bak looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to! He just asked me what was bothering me and I…it slipped out."

"S-slipped out?! Do you realize what you've done! You-!" Lavi flared up. He took a furious step forward but, when he saw Bak squeak and back away, he sighed and stopped, the fight fleeing out of him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and suddenly remembered that he needed to breathe. So he let out a long, heavy exhale. "What am I going to do?"

"I-I didn't mention you!" Bak said suddenly.

Lavi looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I-I said that I saw someone with our school uniform leaving Allen's house, b-but I told him that it was too dark to tell who it was. All I knew was that it was a student."

Lavi growled. "Dammit! Fuck! I have to warn Allen! I have to tell him before Komui gets to him!"

"I'm really sorry, Lavi!" Bak frowned.

Lavi shook his head at him, but didn't accept the apology. "I have to see Allen," he said instead and took off down the hallway, ignoring Bak's shouts and pleas.

He should have seen this coming. He should have been more careful! They had been so close! Things had finally started to look up for Allen and him. But now…

Lavi was pretty sure he would be able to find his English classroom with his eyes closed at this point. He was there in what felt like no time at all and what felt like an eternity at the same time. His hand reached for the door seemingly in slow-motion. He was too afraid of what he'd see on the other side of the door. He just hoped that Allen was there.

Allen _had_ to be there, in that room, for the rest of the year, for the rest of Lavi's life. He knew he sounded selfish and so what if he was! He was seventeen, he had never had a serious relationship before, and he had never even kissed anyone before Allen. He was new to every feeling and every emotion that came with being with him, but somehow he knew that what he felt was true. This wasn't a passing fling and it sure as hell wasn't a fleeting crush.

It was love.

He ripped open the door and stepped in quickly. "Teach! I need to talk to you! Komui is—" he stopped short.

Allen was gaping at him with wide eyes that were swimming with tears. He was sitting as his desk, hands folded but shaking on top of a bunch of papers. Allen stared at him pleadingly, trying to communicate silently with his eyes. Sitting across from him was a man, looking at Lavi with serious eyes.

All Lavi could do was stand, frozen, and stare at his principal as he calmly smiled. "Hello, Lavi!" Komui Lee said brightly. "Isn't this your lunch hour? What are you doing visiting your English teacher at this time, I wonder?"

* * *

**GAH I was NOT looking forward to writing this part! Nope, nope, nope! Just as they mended their relationship THIS HAPPENS! Turns out Kanda and Tyki weren't the ones Lavi and Allen should have worried about after all! But this is the longest chapter yet! Yay? ...And now you're all gonna kill me for leaving you off on such a cliffhanger! but next chapter is on its way... promise! -N**


	16. Chapter 16

Allen Walker's heart was beating fifty times faster than he ever thought was possible.

It was all he could hear as he strained to focus on what the man sitting across from him was saying. It was all drowned out by the pounding in his ears except for a few words. "Allen…teaching…opportunity…rules…consequences…und erstand? Allen? Allen!"

Allen snapped out of his stupor, blinking the nervous tears from his eyes rapidly. "Ah! Yes! Sorry!"

"Are you all right, Allen?" Komui peered over the edge of his glasses. "You look a little pale…"

"Oh, uh, I'm f-fine!" Allen smiled nervously, doing his best to ignore the cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Sorry. Please continue."

"Like I was saying…these sort of rumors can be very detrimental to your reputation. Do you have any idea why someone would make such allegations against you?"

"Wh-what allegations?" Allen bit the inside of his cheek hard.

"Weren't you just listening to a word I said? One of our students, Bak Chan, has accused you of being involved with one of our students. He claimed to have seen a person wearing the school uniform out of your house a few nights ago."

Allen tried to feign shock, which wasn't hard as he was completely freaking out at this point. "He what?"

Komui smiled and held up a hand. "There's no need to panic, Allen! These things happen from time to time! An angry parent or a scorned student will sometimes use this as a cruel joke to get back at teachers. There's no definite proof anywhere that you have had any relations with anyone from our school, and I trust it will stay that way."

"O-oh…yes…of course."

"So, do you have any idea why Bak would make such a claim?"

_Because he saw us! He saw Lavi leaving my home looking like he just got back from the red light district! It's true! I'm guilty! Get the handcuffs!_

"I…have no idea," Allen said instead, but his thoughts were spiraling with the weight of his guilt and twisted fear. Oddly enough, he wasn't entirely scared for himself. He was frightened about what would happen to Lavi if their secret would be discovered. He had such a bright future ahead of him, full of opportunity, and Allen—no matter what—would not take that chance away from him. "I really don't…"

"Well…we'll question Bak a little further, I suppose. Perhaps he was mistaken or he was playing a rather nasty prank on you."

"A prank…?"

Komui nodded. "Anyways, as long as you are aware, I suppose I'll be on my—"

Suddenly, the door trashed open, striking the wall with the force of a gunshot. He ripped open the door and stepped in quickly. "Teach!" Lavi Bookman appeared, eyes wide and urgent. "I need to talk to you!" he was shouting. "Komui is—" At that moment, Lavi spotted Komui himself and paled a little.

Allen gaped at him, fighting the horrified tears in his ears. He sent a meaningful glance at Lavi, hoping and praying that the redhead would just shut up and turn around. Komui was no longer the problem anymore!

_Just get out, Lavi! Right now! Please!_

Komui looked as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Hello, Lavi! Isn't this your lunch hour? What are you doing visiting your English teacher at this time, I wonder?"

Allen knew his life was over when Lavi simply stared, dumbfounded, straight at the principal, unable to speak anymore. Lavi's gaze flitted over to Allen, who shook his head as subtly as possible, and retracted it instantly, taking a deep breath. "Um, I…"

"T-tutoring!" Allen exclaimed suddenly, slamming his hands down on the desk and standing up. "Yes, I forgot! We were supposed to have a tutoring session during lunch today! So sorry, Mr. Bookman, we'll have to reschedule!"

Lavi jumped at Allen's outburst. Then, after meeting Allen's frantic stare, he nodded quickly. "R-right…yeah. Sorry…for, uh, disturbing…your meeting…" Lavi's hand searched for the doorknob without turning around. After a few awkward slaps against the wall, Lavi finally located the handle and twisted it hurriedly. He all but fell out into the hallway. Allen winced at the commotion, wondering desperately what Komui was thinking. By the time Lavi had recomposed himself and closed the door, Komui was wearing a frown.

_I'm dead._

"I've noticed quite a change in Lavi Bookman's behavior these past few months," he remarked casually. "Something or someone has proved to be a positive influence to him."

"Y-yes. He doesn't pull as many pranks as he used to."

"You must be proud."

"H-huh?!"

"Well, as you are his teacher and you've been tutoring him, you must be proud that he's doing well."

Allen took in a sharp breath. "Of course. Very proud."

"You seem to be much happier since you started here, too," Komui observed, placing a hand on his cheek and looking expectantly at Allen.

"It's a busy life," Allen admitted, "but it has its benefits."

Komui gave him a stare that clearly told Allen that he knew _exactly_ what was going on. Allen tensed in his seat, gripping the pen in his hand tighter. "Do you know what would happen to any teacher getting caught having relations of an…inappropriate sort with a student?"

Allen's breath was caught. All that left his mouth was shocked snippets of words and broken gasps of dead air. Komui didn't look fazed. "Well, the teacher would surely spend jail time. I've seen up to fifteen years at the most."

"F-fifteen?" Allen repeated. "Really…?" Why was it so hot in the classroom all of the sudden?

Komui continued, "If the student was underage, the teacher gets placed under a list of offenders, and that makes it near impossible for the teacher to ever get hired anywhere ever again. The whole world would know what he or she had done."

"I-is that…so?" Allen knew he looked and sounded guilty.

"Added onto that, the student himself or herself would undergo his or her own ramifications. It can vary, depending on the severity of the situation, but the gist of it is that he or she is labeled as a victim. They'll carry that label with them wherever they go. When applying to college or a job, they'll have to show that they were involved in that sort of affair. It's a rather nasty business."

Allen's blank stare seemed to be enough of a response for Komui, who just smiled. Allen thought he saw some sympathy in those eyes. "Just keep that in mind, kay?" he said. "Anyways, like I said before, there's no hard proof so…" he trailed off, leaving Allen confused. He was certain Komui knew…so why was he being so…lenient?

"A-all right…" Allen choked out and nearly flinched as Komui stood up from his seat.

"In that case we're done here!" Komui sang as he stretched. "Oh, and by the way! We're in the process of deciding who will be the permanent new teacher here, so I expect that you'll be able to be free of this place within the week, isn't that lovely? Anyways, I'll see you around, Allen!"

"R-right…good day…"

Allen didn't even rise to his feet as Komui left the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He sat, frozen, in his chair and let out the largest, longest sigh he had ever had the displeasure of experiencing once he was sure Komui was far and away.

Not even two minutes after, Lavi burst into the room, looking more like a train wreck than anything else. "Allen!" he shouted and made a beeline to where Allen sat, drained. "Allen, Allen! What happened!? Speak to me!"

"L-Lavi…"Allen gasped.

"What? What is it?! What'd he say?!" Lavi's concern was plastered on his pale face.

Allen gritted his teeth. "Lavi Bookman, you ASS!" he shrieked and smacked Lavi roughly on the back of the head.

"OW! TEACH, WHAT THE HELL—!?"

Allen cut across him, shouting angrily. "What the hell were _you thinking_ barging into here shouting like an idiot?! Do you have any idea what you almost did?!"

Lavi blinked, stunned, until something seemed to click in his head. "Almost?"

Allen growled, but couldn't help the relief that came with that world. "He said that there's no hard proof that I have ever been involved with any of the students here, and Bak was kind enough to keep names out of the mix, so Komui didn't call me out on anything."

"What was he doing then?"

_Warning me. _ Allen sighed. He was certain that Komui knew exactly what was going on between the two of them, but was simply giving Allen a chance to…

To do what exactly?

Friend or not, Komui would be in a lot of trouble if the word got out that a teacher and a student were seeing each other and he had done nothing about it. Was Komui telling Allen to be more careful? Or was he implying that Allen should…?

The thought rendered Allen paralyzed for a few moments. He snapped his wide grey eyes up to look into Lavi's relieved, young-looking face. So young…he was still so young…

His heart sank and broke into two, as he realized what he had to do.

...

That night, Lavi couldn't believe his own luck. How many times had Allen and he gotten out of trouble in the past couple of months? It was a miracle that Allen had ever even returned Lavi's feelings in the first place! He was overly fond of that fact.

Suddenly, Lavi heard his cellphone ringing loudly from his bedroom. Hopping up from the chair in the living room he had claimed as his work zone for the night, he left behind the mess of papers and his laptop behind on the cluttered table. The turn in date for the YWA competition was tomorrow and Lavi was—frankly—freaking out. He was checking and double checking and triple checking every line. Lavi didn't remember ever putting so much effort into a single thing before in his life. He had put his blood, sweat, and tears into this thing—it was practically his baby! He was a bit reluctant to turn it in as he was afraid he may have put too much of himself into it. Allen told him that that was made it so good, though, and Lavi trusted him more than he liked to admit to.

He spotted his phone sitting on his bed. He grinned as he saw Allen's name illuminated on the screen. He answered without hesitation. "Hey, babe!" he greeted happily. "Man, you're a mind reader! I was just going through the paper one last time and I was wondering if you could look over something real—"

"This isn't working, Lavi," Allen's heavy, thick voice cut across his rambling.

Lavi blinked. "What's not working? The paper?! Why the hell did you wait until the day before it's due to tell me?! Do you have any idea how much—?"

"No, not the paper!" He sighed. "I meant _us_. We're not working, Lavi."

A lump formed in his throat. "Wh-what do you mean?" Lavi had thought that things were going amazingly between them. He had never let himself be so open with anyone like this before. He found salvation with Allen. He couldn't possibly imagine being without him!

"You know what I mean. We can't keep doing this anymore. I'm sorry. _I _can't do this anymore!" Allen's tired voice sounded strained, like these weren't his own words.

"A-Allen…" Lavi was petrified. "Y-you don't mean this! You can't!"

"I'm sorry, Lavi. But this is too complicated! I'm your teacher, for god's sake! I shouldn't be messing around with an underage, confused kid! It's not fair to you. And if we got caught…I don't want to hurt you, Lavi!"

"Then don't do this!" Lavi gasped into the phone, clutching onto it as if Allen would be able to feel his desperation. "Stay with me! I can't do this without you!"

"I'm sorry, Lavi, but you're going to have to."

"No…no, Allen! Please…" Lavi felt like he was going to be sick. He must be having a nightmare. There's no way…! It can't end…not like this…

"Goodbye, Lavi."

"No, Allen, wait! Please don't go!" Lavi's pleas went unheard as he heard a sharp click. He glanced at his phone in disbelief. Tears slid down his frozen cheeks. He dropped his phone, letting it smack against the floor. His hands wandered to his hair, running through it in an estranged manner. His heart was surely in danger of physically splitting in half.

There was no way that just happened.

No way.

As a strangled sob left his throat, Lavi collapsed onto his bed and cried for the first time since his parents died.

...

Allen felt hollow.

His tear-filled grey eyes stared longingly at the highlighted name on his phone.

**LAVI :P**

How his thumb ached to tap the number below it and take back every hurtful word he said, to beg Lavi to take him back, to promise him that he would never leave. But Komui's warning remained resolute in his throbbing head.

He wouldn't let Lavi waste away his future just for his sake. He wouldn't let Lavi go through that sort of pain. He wanted Lavi to find someone that loved him as much as Allen did, someone that Lavi deserved.

That someone was _not_ him.

He had known that for a while now. He knew he was living a fairytale. But he had been so caught up in his own feelings that he didn't see the disastrous consequences waiting for them both at the end of the road.

No.

It wasn't fair to either of them.

He had to end it.

The next day Allen did his best to look like he hadn't spent the entire night crying. He put on the bravest face he had and walked into the _too_ familiar English classroom and sat at his desk and didn't look up until he had to call for attendance.

"Lenalee," he called flatly.

"Here!"

"Krory."

"Here!"

"Yu."

"It's KANDA!"

Allen went to the next name without a second glance at him. "Bak."

"H-here…" Bak looked extremely guilty. He looked down at the desk with a red face.

Allen took a deep breath and said the next name with difficulty. "Lavi Bookman."

No answer.

Allen looked up. His heart skipped a beat or three. "Lavi Bookman?"

It felt like a hot knife twisted in his heart when the seat, that was supposed to have a redheaded, loud-mouthed idiot beaming like the love-struck teen he was, was empty.

His imagination whirled ahead of him. Where was he? Was he alone in his room? Was he too hurt to even come to school? Was he taking at least taking care of himself? He imagined that Lavi hated him by now. He was probably cursing his name, throwing darts at a picture of him, and mapping out the harshest revenge he had ever conjured.

Allen bit the inside of his cheek and marked Lavi absent.

It was just after second period when Allen found himself once again cornered by the principal, who told him some very surprising news.

"Wh-what?!" Allen gasped.

"We decided on a replacement teacher!" Komui said happily. "I know it's sudden but she's been recently unemployed and has all the credentials! She can even start Monday. So…Allen Walker, you're a free man! I already sent my thanks to Cross. He's very impressed with your work and told me to tell you that he's fully ready to hold up to his end of the deal. Congratulations, Allen!"

Allen felt like someone had slapped him across the face.

He wasn't a teacher anymore.

He _wasn't a teacher anymore!_

Allen gritted his teeth angrily. Komui may be a nice guy, but Allen _really_ wanted to clock him right now.

"Are you all right, Allen?" Komui asked carefully. "You look pale."

Allen snapped out of his thoughts and put on a fake smile. "Oh, yes! I think I'm just getting over a cold. But…you're sure about this? You don't need me anymore?"

Komui laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you're itching to get out of this place as soon as possible! Don't you worry about us! You can go."

"R-right. Thank you for everything, Mr. Lee." Allen bowed politely, biting his cheek.

Komui just laughed and shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you! Now, get out of here, kid!"

Allen muttered a feeble thanks one more time before walking out the office, down the stairs, and past the front the doors for the last time.

He was driving to Lavi's house before he even acknowledged it. His cellphone was to his ear, already ringing. "Answer it!" Allen pleaded. His grip on the steering wheel doubling. "Come on!"

"Hello?" a familiar bright voice answered.

"Lavi! Thank god! I—"

"HA! Voicemail! Leave a message and I'll get back to you…probably!"

Allen gritted his teeth. He hated that damn voicemail. "Lavi! It's Allen! Please, answer your phone! I've made a horrible mistake! I'm on my way to your house now and I don't care if your grandfather is there. I'm so, so sorry, Lavi. You have to believe that! I'm going to call again."

With that, he hung up and redialed Lavi's number, only to once again get his immediate voicemail prank. Allen cursed and dropped his phone. Lavi must have it turned off. He would just have to say everything in person.

Maybe if he explained things…maybe if he apologized fifty times over…maybe if he begged him…maybe then Lavi would understand and take him back.

Allen brightened up exponentially at the sudden thought that he could soon see Lavi's smile again. He drove past the park that Allen and Lavi had met on the day of their two-hour delay and the abandoned building where Allen had stopped Tyki Mikk from seriously hurting Lavi the night their love affair had begun.

Soon enough, he was cruising near a familiar house. He had barely even cut the engine when he burst from the car and flew to the front door and began knocking desperately on the front door. "LAVI!" he shouted. "Open up! It's me! Look, I know you're pissed but, please, open the door! Lavi! Mr. Bookman? Hello?!"

No answer.

Allen continued to knock for what felt like hours until his hands started to get sore. But he wasn't giving up that easily. He would stay and wait until Lavi or his grandfather returned and he would get Lavi back no matter what he had to do.

He stood there in the cold even longer, suddenly wishing he had brought a thicker jacket. After a while, he took a seat on the porch steps and kept his eyes fixated down the road, waiting impatiently for someone to come home.

He waited and waited and waited.

Even when it began to snow, he didn't move. Even when the streetlights flickered on, he remained still. He ignored the chattering of his teeth and the potential threat of becoming a living popsicle. It wasn't until the sun had completely set that Allen decided that he should leave.

Allen felt like he had lost Lavi all over again and it was worse the second time. He all but fell into his car and drove away the way he had come, feeling absolutely foolish.

The tears made it near impossible to see as he drove back to his home. Once had finally managed to locate his little flat, he spent the entire night lying in bed, repeatedly trying to call Lavi over and over again and ignoring the sure signs of another cold.

...

Lavi was stuck in a parallel universe.

That was the only way he could explain the insanity of the last few days.

His Allen would never have been so cold.

His version of Kanda wouldn't have come over along with Lenalee and Krory and spent hours trying to cheer him up and take him out until nearly midnight.

His universe wouldn't have thrown him sideways like this one had.

His grandfather would certainly have never taken time out of his schedule to care for Lavi. He left plates of food on Lavi's desk and bought him a new cellphone, which had been broken when Lavi dropped it on the floor on Friday night. He therefore missed any calls or texts he had gotten over the course of the weekend, something Lenalee was quick to harp on.

Monday was even worse.

He had been absolutely shocked when he walked into his English class Monday morning, fully prepared to grovel at his teacher's feet and beg him to take him back, to find that Allen Walker was not there. In his place was a smiling girl that introduced herself as the permanent replacement, Mrs. Lulu Bell.

"WHAT?!" Lavi shouted loudly, slamming his hands on the desk. His classmates all turned to look at him. "What happened to Mr. Walker?" he asked breathlessly.

"Mr. Walker returned to his own classes," she said sweetly. "Let's take roll."

Lavi sunk back into his chair. His eyes were wide. Had Allen known that Friday was his last day? Of course he'd known! Did Allen realize that once his time as an English teacher came to end that he didn't want to be stuck with a high school student and was just dumping him so he could be single when he went back to college? Had this just been a meaningless fling? Did Lavi fall for an act, a game?

No. It couldn't be. Not Allen. He wasn't like that.

Was he?

Now Lavi was second guessing their entire relationship. Did it mean a damn thing at all?!

Lavi watched the new teacher with massive distaste. How dare she try to replace Mr. Walker! No one could replace him! He made English enjoyable. He made Lavi feel like he actually had a chance in the world.

How dare she just walk in and act so high and mighty!

Then a dangerous idea popped into his head.

He had indirectly been the reason why his previous teacher quit. They had brought in Allen Walker to fill in. Now this newbie was here. If Lavi made _her_ quit Allen would come back, right?

If he came back, Lavi could ask him face to face what the last few months had meant to him. If he could only just see Allen one more time…

Lavi gritted his teeth, shooting daggers at the smiling teacher at the head of the class.

He _would_ make her quit.

...

Of course, he had been unsuccessful.

He had underestimated the new teacher—Mrs. Bell. She had seemed all sweet and innocent and had almost a cute cat-like appeal to her. But, the woman had a dark side. She responded harshly to Lavi's misbehavior and pranks, sending him to the office without a warning and issuing countless detentions. She forced Lavi to do all sorts of boring, tedious tasks during said detentions. She even suspended him for two days. Boy, was the Panda pissed about that one!

Lavi hated her.

He hated her so much.

He missed Allen.

He wanted to see him again.

He wanted to hear his soft voice.

Why had he left?!

In the end, Lavi resolved to give up. It was a fruitless attempt. Besides, he knew deep down that Allen wouldn't even be the one to sub again if Mrs. Bell did leave. Allen was back at college. He had gotten what he came for, hadn't he? It was useless to think otherwise.

He was gone.

...

June went as suddenly as it had come. Lavi graduated with honors—a feat that was only accomplished thanks to a certain white-haired substitute.

Lavi had wished with all his might that he would see Allen during graduation. Surely he would show up. He had to.

But as Lavi walked across the stage and was handed his diploma, he never saw him.

He never showed.

Lavi swallowed his disappointment and smiled for the camera in front of him. He walked back to his seat as quickly as he could, fighting the tears in his eyes.

Lavi had assumed—like every heartbreak—that he would get over Allen within a few months. But it was going on five months since he had seen Allen Walker or heard from him and Lavi still felt like he had just gotten that call last weekend.

After the ceremony, Lavi met up with his grandfather, who pulled him into a very rare hug. "Well, it's all over!" he sighed. "Now you're a college student. I'm getting old!"

Lavi smirked and wrapped an arm around his shoulder fondly. "You're not that old, Panda! It's just a number after all."

His grandfather smiled. "I'm proud of you, Lavi."

Lavi rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Stop, you're gonna make me blush!"

His grandfather had spent the last five months trying to pull Lavi back onto his feet. When Lavi had locked himself in his room for the first week or two, his grandfather pulled out the skeleton key and all but forced food down his throat.

"If it's meant to be, it'll happen!" he had said, still under the illusion that Lavi was cut up over a girl. "You're still young. There'll be other flings. Don't beat yourself up over it! Just think back to the good times you had. Just because it's over, doesn't mean it didn't happen once. It could easily happen again. Maybe with someone else, maybe with the same person—who knows?"

"Thanks, Gramps." Lavi had smiled. "Where would I be without you?"

"On the street. Probably selling drugs."

"…Thanks."

"Well, you asked!"

At the end of June, Lavi had received a letter telling him that he had won first place in the YWA competition and was awarded a large sum of scholarship money. Kanda, Krory, Lenalee, Miranda, and his grandfather were all ecstatic and congratulated him. Lavi had just stared at the paper, dropped it, and left the room without a word, leaving his friends and family looking surprised and worried.

Then August came and Lavi's eighteenth birthday passed and Lavi left home altogether to go to college. He was a bit worried about leaving his grandfather behind. He wasn't as young and capable as he once was. "I'll be fine!" he assured Lavi when he had expressed his worries. "You just worry about keeping those grades up, you hear? I won't hesitate to drive up there and knock those books right into your head!"

Lavi had enrolled into Black Order University for the most selfish reason there was.

He wanted to see Allen.

He had hoped that he would run into him in between classes. He fantasized about bumping into him on campus and the two began to talk again…and everything would just be forgiven. They could go back to what they had before—this time legally and with nothing to hide.

But shortly after arriving at the university, Lavi learned that Allen had transferred to a med school out of state.

Lavi wished he could have pretended he was surprised.

It was almost like Allen Walker had disappeared from the world altogether.

Lavi looked around his half moved in dorm room with an appraised look. In all of his eighteen years, Lavi was still unable to properly make a bed. He shrugged and figured that it was good enough and moved to unpack the next box of miscellaneous items. Just then, Kanda poked his head in. "Hey. I'm going to go check out the cafeteria. You in?"

"Yeah, sure, just let me grab my coat!" Lavi grinned and hopped up to pull on his jacket. It was already getting cold out again. It seemed like summer had passed in a blur, a disconnected dream. Lavi zipped up his coat and reached out to habitually pull on his scarf, but he hesitated. His fingers lightly dusted the orange fabric for a moment as he became lost in his thoughts.

Kanda eventually became impatient and stomped his foot demandingly. "You ready yet?" he snapped.

Lavi blinked. "Oh. Yeah! I'm ready! Let's go." He marched ahead, ignoring Kanda's piqued snort. He allowed the thought of Allen to slip to the back of his mind as Kanda and he made their way through the campus, and the orange scarf was left forgotten on the hook.

* * *

**LATE LATE LATE. This came out so much later than I would have liked, and this chapter isn't exactly the most cheery. (cries) Sorry! Will it help if I say that this story isn't over yet? This is the end of "Phase One" and now we go to "Phase Two" so there's still much more to come! Promise! And I swear the next chapter won't be as late as this one. Really. :3 -N**


	17. Chapter 17

**_NOTE: There's a FOUR YEAR time skip! _**

* * *

"I'm getting too old for this heavy lifting stuff…"

"I should hit you for that!"

Lavi grinned over his shoulder at his grandfather as he balanced three large cardboard boxes in his arms. He almost dropped them twice as he climbed up the steep steps that led up to the new apartment he was moving into. His grandfather had offered to help out, and so had his friends but they never seemed to show, not that he necessarily minded. It was nice to spend some time with the old panda.

He felt a bit bad about leaving his grandfather all alone in the house, but the old man seemed almost excited about Lavi getting his own place. Maybe he was glad to see that Lavi was finally back on his feet.

He completed four years at Black Order University—graduating third in his class with a degree in English and a minor in Journalism. He got a job and an apartment. He even had a few relationships during the course of his college years. They had been meaningless nothings. He had never found someone else that he felt for as strongly as he had for his ex-English teacher.

The time he spent with Allen Walker seemed like a distant dream.

He had moved on. There were entire days that would go by that Lavi didn't even think of him.

Still, with experience, he learned that what they had had been real. He began to look at the short time he spent with Allen Walker with fond reminiscence, but he knew that it would never happen again. Allen had succeeded in disappearing for four full years.

"Where should I put this?" his grandfather asked, lifting the small box he had carried.

"Anywhere is fine!" Lavi gestured to the open space of the living room. "I'll get it all sorted later. Right now I just want to get all this shi—er, _stuff_ actually in here."

"I knew I should have spent more time washing that foul mouth of yours out with soap when you were a kid," he mumbled crankily. Lavi only smiled and returned to rummaging through his boxes, trying to finish unpacking as soon as possible. As he put his clothes away, he pulled out a long, orange scarf. Lavi blinked at it. He had nearly forgotten all about it.

A frown set on his face, he wrapped it around his neck and refused to take it off the rest of the night.

Maybe he hadn't moved on as much as he thought.

Lavi walked across the still unfurnished living room, as his furniture wouldn't be delivered until later, and went to the wide balcony. This feature was one of the main reasons why Lavi had decided to move in. It seemed to have the perfect view of the main part of the city. The lights were dazzling during the nights, lighting up the sky but still leaving space for the stars. It was a refreshing sight, full of opportunity for Lavi's new start. He felt liberated after years and years of waiting and searching.

He was ready to start his own life.

...

"Have you done your laundry?"

"_Yes_, gramps."

"And you remembered to mail that letter?"

"Put it in the box yesterday morning."

"And you—?"

"Gramps! I'm _fine_, okay? I'm twenty-two now. I'm not a kid."

His grandfather sighed and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. "Yes. That's what concerns me."

Lavi laughed heartily. "Don't worry. I'm going to be okay!"

He cracked a smile. "I know you will be. You've got a good head on your shoulders, even if it is full of fluff." He yawned loudly. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night."

"For the night?" Lavi blinked. "It's only seven-thirty!"

"Blah, blah, blah!" He waved him off. "When you're older, you'll understand!"

"Whatever! You want me to bring you some prunes while you hobble into bed, Old Man?"

"Too bad you can't make snarky comments into a career and not this snobby journalism business."

Lavi grinned. "What are you talking about? Snarky comments and journalism go hand in hand!"

His grandfather just hummed noncommittally and yawned again. "Just get on home. I'll be fine!"

Lavi frowned. He didn't like leaving his grandfather here all alone, so he made a point to visit every day that he possibly could. He'd tell his grandfather that it was because he thought he might have forgotten something there, or was bored out of his mind, or that he had nothing else to do. More often than not, he'd take the old panda out for dinner or go shopping or just run some errands that needed to be done. His grandfather never asked him to do it and constantly berated Lavi for dragging him around for useless chores, but Lavi knew better. He was just as glad as Lavi was to spend time with him. They were really all the other had.

"I was thinking of running out for some food. You want me to bring some back?"

"Do I look like a little kid that needs babied to you?" he shouted back as he walked down the hall. "Get out of here, you punk! I'm fine!"

Lavi sighed, but felt the corners of his mouth tug into a smile. "All right, all right! I'm gone! See you later, gramps!"

"Don't make me come back there and hit you!"

Lavi laughed before saying goodbye and leaving after a few moments of hesitation. It was dark by the time he got back to his apartment. Even when he turned on the lights, it still felt empty and lonely, not like home. He supposed he just wasn't used to it yet.

He made sure to call his grandfather after he got home from work the next day, but was only answered by his voicemail. Sighing, he tossed his cellphone to the bed and stretched with a yawn. He really needed to get to work on the article he was supposed to be writing, but his motivation was near nonexistent. Instead, he took a shower and dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, and padded into the kitchen.

After excavating through the pitiful contents of his fridge, he decided to just order out. He might as well get some work done while he waited for his food. As he settled down in his desk with a dramatic heave of dry air, his cellphone lit up and rang.

Lavi answered it at once, thinking it was his grandfather. "Hello?"

"Mr. Bookman?" a cool female voice said.

"Yes?" Lavi responded, turning on his laptop.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your grandfather was just admitted to the hospital. He suffered a major heart attack. He was found by your neighbors. He's condition is unstable as of now. You were his only emergency contact."

Lavi rose to his feet in an instant, feeling fear trickling into him. "Is he all right? Will he be okay?!" How could this girl sound so collected, so normal? It really pissed him off!

"It's too early to tell. He's very weak…"

"I'm on my way!"

Lavi hung up the phone and ran out of his apartment, passing a very confused delivery man on the way.

...

Allen Walker stifled a yawn behind his hand. "I can't keep doing this to myself…" he groaned as he looked at the load of paperwork. Then his eyes rested on the pile behind that one and felt his heart sink a little. His stomach let out a needy growl. He groaned again and let his head drop to the cluttered desk.

Allen was currently a first-year resident under Dr. Tiedoll, a kind, older gentleman with a tendency to sketch during his breaks and leave countless stacks of paperwork for Allen to deal with on his own. He was nice enough, though, and was more patient than most of the other doctors in this hellish pace.

Honestly, Allen felt absolutely drained and older than twenty-five. He began wondering if he had known how much work being a doctor truly was if he would have ever started this career in the first place. Then Allen thought of the little boy who hurt his arm earlier today that Allen helped and he sighed.

Yes. He still would.

He glanced at the clock and saw that it was time for his break. Stomach still growling precariously, he grabbed his coat and keys, already dreaming of fast-food and takeout. He read through a patient's file as he walked down the brightly lit hall, chewing on his pen thoughtfully. He wore a white doctor's coat with an ID badge declaring him as a first-year resident. He hated the thing. It never stayed on. He must have lost it at least twice a day.

He ran into someone as he walked aimlessly. "Oh, I'm sorry! A-ah!" Allen gasped. "Dr. Tiedoll! I'm so sorry! I was just on my way to get something to eat and I was—"

"Ah, Allen!" Dr. Tiedoll smiled. He was like the old grandfather of the hospital, treating everyone there as if they were one big family. It definitely made things easier. "Grab me something, too, will ya? I hope you're willing to work overtime tonight!"

Allen got a bad feeling. "Why? What's happened?"

"A severe heart attack. The patient is elderly. It doesn't necessarily look good."

Allen nodded dutifully. "I'll stay. What do you need me to do?"

"I've already had the patient's family contacted. His grandson, it seems, is the only living family. He's on his way now. I need you to explain to him what's happened while we take the patient into emergency surgery. Can you handle that?"

Allen sighed. He hated the part of the job where he had to deliver bad news. But he nodded again. "Sure. Leave it to me."

He rushed to a fast-food joint, picked up a bunch of food, and ate hurriedly as he ran back into the hospital. He thought about the patient's grandson he was about to meet. Usually, in such cases with small families, they were all very close-knit and therefore very emotional during these times. Allen was already carefully thinking through his words, making sure he wouldn't say anything too condemning or too hopeful at the same time.

Too caught up in his thoughts, Allen wasn't watching as he crossed the busy street. "Hey! Watch out!" a voice cried and suddenly a strong hand was pulling Allen off of the street and back onto the sidewalk.

Allen stumbled to regain his balance, blanching as a large city bus whooshed past, blaring its horn in annoyance. Allen held his chest, breathing deeply in relief, and turned to thank his savior to find that it was a police officer. "Th-thank you!" Allen bowed, cheeks flaring up. "I, uh, wasn't really paying attention..."

"Yes, I can _see_ that!" The cop huffed indignantly, crossing his arms. It was too dark to get a clear look at his face, but Allen felt a strong sense of déjà vu. "Next time, watch where you're going, idiot!"

Allen thanked him again and the cop stomped off grumpily, as if Allen had offended him in some way. Blinking, Allen waited until the crosswalk sign changed color and he crossed. He certainly had the distinct feeling that he had met that man before, but for the life of him he couldn't place a name to that voice.

As he was signing back in, he had to balance a bunch of bags on his knee and free arm. A nurse ran up to him, looking hassled. "Allen, there you are!" She sighed with relief. "The grandson of the patient has arrived. He's…loud, to put it nicely."

"Ah, thank you!" Allen smiled kindly before nearly dropping everything in his arms. As he scrambled to catch everything the nurse blushed heavily and giggled behind her hand. Allen grinned sheepishly. "Um. I'll be right there!"

She nodded and walked away, still flushing a bright shade of pink. She was new around here. Allen never had the heart to tell her he wasn't interested in women.

In fact, he was only interested in one person.

But, of course, that was impossible now.

Allen hadn't seen Lavi Bookman in over four years.

Not since his graduation.

Allen had stood by the door just in time to see his favorite redhead walked across the stage with that goofy smile on his face and receive his diploma. Allen was so relieved to see that Lavi had found his smile again. He was so beautiful when he smiled.

Allen had allowed himself to smile just that once before turning around and walking out of the school before anyone managed to see him—including Lavi.

He had heard that Lavi had gone on to attend Black Order University and more than once thought about transferring back to the school just in case he would "accidentally" run into him again. But, Allen became so engrossed in trying to obtain his MD that he never did. Scratch that. Allen had lacked the guts to go back.

Now at twenty-five years old, Allen Walker was almost finished with his education. Being a doctor was taxing and exhausting, but being able to save people was what he had always dreamed about. He hoped that somewhere Mana was watching him and was proud.

As Allen rounded the corner, straightening his white coat he heard a spine-chillingly familiar voice.

"I don't _care_ what the doctors said! He's my grandfather and I want to see him!"

Allen stared at a man who was mercifully turned with his back towards him as he shouted relentlessly at the nurse behind the reception desk. The nurse was holding up her clipboard as a barrier between her and the furious man. "I'm sorry, sir!" she squeaked. "But you can't see him yet! He is in surgery now!"

Allen was frozen. He could feel his heart already pounding in his ears.

The man had fiery red hair that stuck up all over the place. He could see a green and black bandana around his forehead. He was wearing tight, white pants and a long coat. The man cursed with such a familiar tone that Allen nearly fell to his knees. "I don't care! Just tell me what the hell is going on! Dammit! Where are all the _real_ doctors at?"

"Mr. Bookman, please!" the nurse cried, reaching out in an attempt to stop the man from storming into the emergency room by himself. "Wa-wait!"

Allen was no longer listening. He was running.

He ducked into the nearest bathroom before anyone had ever noticed he had been there, nearly slipping on the slippery floor and crashing into the "wet floor" sign. He all but fell into a stall, locked it, and leaned against the door with wide eyes, hand clutching his chest. His couldn't stop trembling even if he tried.

Lavi Bookman was here.

He was in the hospital.

After so long…Lavi…

The initial shock was wearing off. For a little bit, he began doubting whether or not he had actually seen him, that he had been mistaken. But the proof lay in the way his body was reacting. He felt as if he had just encountered a ghost.

And now he had to go and speak to him, explain to him about what happened to his grandfa—

His grandfather! Allen bit the inside of his cheek. His grandfather was in surgery at that very moment! Allen had read over the details on his way back. It certainly didn't look good, and given Mr. Bookman's age…no, he couldn't think like that. Surely, he would be able to bounce back, for Lavi's sake.

Allen's gut twisted uneasily as he thought of his ex-everything—his ex-student, his ex-friend, his ex-lover.

A strange smile appeared on his lips as he held his head and tears flowed down his cheeks.

_Lavi_…

...

Allen spent the whole night artfully keeping out of both Dr. Tiedoll's and Lavi's sight. He was too afraid what would happen if either of them got ahold of him. Whenever he would see Dr. Tiedoll coming down the hall, arms full of charts and papers, Allen would duck into the nearest room and hold his breath until Dr. Tiedoll's incessant shouts to those nearby to locate Allen. If he happened to pass by the waiting room, where Lavi was currently being penned up in by _two _security guards, which didn't surprise him in the slightest, he would hold up his clipboard to his face or wait until a cart passed and ran past as quickly as he possibly could.

Really, he should have gone into espionage.

He even resorted to hiding in a supply cabinet when Dr. Tiedoll suddenly barged into the room. He was in there for twenty full minutes before Dr. Tiedoll left again. Allen burst from the cupboard, crying out as he desperately tried to regain feeling in his legs.

Once Mr. Bookman was out of surgery and resting in his room, however, Allen snuck carefully over. Curiosity was eating away at him, and he had a job to do, after all.

He peered in the door with as much gusto as a timid mouse. His sight rested on the sleeping Mr. Bookman first. He looked old and sick. His pale face was sunken in. His chest rose and fell slowly without any rhythm. His heart monitor beeped slowly and irregularly like a sad song. There were several tubes and wires taped to his face and arms and chest.

Allen's eyes traveled to the young man sitting with his feet propped up on the windowsill with a book in his hand that he read from in a soft voice. Allen's stomach went through loops just at the sight of him.

Lavi Bookman was older. His hair was a bit longer, but he still wore it up in that old bandana. He had matured. His boyish features had melted into a strong, but equally as entrancing face. One eye was still covered by an eye patch while the visibly green one sparkled with that old, rebellious charm. There was a pair of small hooped earrings in his ears that hadn't been there before. He wore tight white pants that were tucked into tall boots and a green shirt. His coat was folded over the chair he was so casually leaning on. His heart practically stopped when his eyes rested on an orange scarf peeking out from it.

He was reading from an old, tattered book. He recognized it instantly as _To Kill a Mockingbird_—the book they had read when Allen first started teaching.

Allen listened to Lavi's velvety voice as his single eye trailed across the pages. "'_I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.'"_

On that spot, Allen was thrown back into the past—to the moment Lavi and he first admitted their feelings for one another in Allen's old kitchen. Lavi had been glowing. His eyes had been shining despite the very visible bruises and scrapes forming on his delicate skin. That was one of the first moments that Lavi had genuinely smiled at him, had opened up. He thought about how happy they had been together.

And during that very moment, Allen fell hopelessly back in love with Lavi Bookman.

* * *

**OHHH, it's cliche, I know, but bear with me here! :P But you would not BELIEVE the hell I have gone through this past two weeks. Every possible thing that could have gone wrong with my laptop _did_ go wrong: virus, hardware malfunction, broken screen, and several lost files, including this fic. Luckily, I was able to recover an earlier version of it so not everything was lost, but it's still a low blow. But hey! I'm not giving up! And a HUUUGE thanks for you for still reading this fic-it's much longer than I had previously anticipated-but yeah! :3 Okay, see you in a bit~! -N**


	18. Chapter 18

As Lavi read from what had become his favorite book—once he had swallowed his pride long enough to actually read the damn thing—he got the sinking feeling that someone was watching him, and quite closely. As he finished a sentence, he glanced up curiously at the door to find it completely empty.

He had been sure he had seen someone out of the corner of his eye, watching him read. He had even sworn for a moment that he had seen a tuft of white hair. Again, Lavi's eyesight wasn't the best.

He shook his head. He was too damn emotional and now he was seeing things that weren't there, that couldn't _possibly_ be there. Abandoning the absurd thoughts, and sure as hell _not_ feeling any bits of hope fluttering about in his chest, he continued to read to his unconscious grandfather.

His grandfather was the only reason Lavi was still on his feet. It positively frightened Lavi as he was now faced with the very real possibility that he could be losing his only family. Dr. Tiedoll had explained everything. "I apologize. My intern was supposed to tell you this sooner, but he seems to have gone missing. He's just a little thing so I hope nothing happened to him." He went on to explain in great detail, using words that went way over Lavi's head, about what precisely had happened to his grandfather.

It filled Lavi with so much guilt to think that his grandfather had been alone when this had all happened. When he complained of being tired, Lavi simply passed it off as the geezer getting older and laughed it away. He had teased him.

He had never imagined it was something so serious.

He should have had seen the signs right away.

And to think he had been alone…

Lavi gritted his teeth as he watched his grandfather worriedly. He looked so small—so fragile. Lavi was afraid that if he even breathed too hard his grandfather would simply crumble away.

He spent every hour he could at the hospital over the next few days. Lenalee and Kanda visited a few times, too. He would bring along his work, but the amount that was finished was discouraging at best. The whole "career" thing was getting old really fast. Lavi found himself missing his college days or even time in high school. For a while there, he had really looked forward to waking up at six in the morning and going to school early to meet…

Lavi buried his face in his hands. Now was certainly not the time to be thinking about that. He wasn't sure what was with him lately. He couldn't seem to get Allen out of his head and it was driving him insane. It was finding that scarf that did it.

He had let it become lost shortly after arriving to college and it ended up wedged in the darkest corner of his closet. He had packed it almost by accident when moving into his apartment and when he had found it…well, it was sitting on the chair across from him at that very moment.

He just couldn't shake the feeling that Allen was there with him.

Which reminded him of something.

"Hey, Gramps?" Lavi laughed nervously. "I'm not entirely sure if you can hear me or not, and I'm kind of hoping you can't, but…I've been meaning to tell you something for years now. You, um…you remember my senior year when we got that substitute in our English class? Mr. Walker? Yeah, well, um, you see…funny story about him! He and I sort of…how do I put this delicately? We did more than tutoring sessions and detentions. Maybe you already knew that. Or maybe you didn't want to believe it. But, either way, I just wanted to say it out loud finally."

The room was silent except for the rhythmic pounding of the heart monitor and the steady whoosh of the breathing machine. Lavi frowned, looking at nothing in particular and sighing. "Do me a favor and answer a question, will you? Is it…is it normal to still think of them? Of exes, I mean. Because lately…even with everything going on…I'm still thinking of him. Pretty stupid, huh?"

Lavi smiled softly. He was quite aware that his mental condition could be questioned by some of the medical staff if he kept up this talking-to-himself shtick. Only, he didn't entirely care.

For the next week, Lavi continued to have one-sided conversations with his grandfather over the next week and read to him to each and every day. He never woke up. None of the doctors would answer his questions and those that tried to explain would use words that went far and beyond Lavi's knowledge and patience.

On the seventh day, Lavi arrived with fresh flowers bright and early in the morning. As he shrugged off his coat his gaze rested on a Get Well card sitting on the table beside the bed. Curious, Lavi walked over and lifted it. It was a simple, generic white card with gold lettering that only said: _Get Well Soon_. Lavi opened it up and saw a hurried scribbled signature in the corner.

_Thoughts are always with you _-_A_

Lavi blinked at it. He figured the hospital staff must have placed it there. He set it back on the table, making note to thank the nurse that often came in to check on him. He lounged back in the chair that he always occupied and stifled a yawn. He decided to rest his eyes for just a second…

He drifted off.

...

Allen was washing his hands vigorously in the restroom. A child with the flu had come in earlier and gotten sick all over Allen, who had assured the parents that it was no problem and that it was nothing to fret over but on the inside he was all but crying.

He retreated to the restrooms as soon as possible to clean up, but not much was helping.

It didn't help that his hands were repeatedly slipping and dropping things. He was too distracted, too in shock by the sudden manifestation of Lavi Bookman. His brain was contorting with conflicting emotions. He found himself several times rushing to Mr. Bookman's room with the adamant thought that he would explain everything and then just as suddenly he was turning tail and running the other way like a frightened kitten.

Allen sighed as he rinsed his hands for what must have been the fourth time.

He really needed to control his emotions better. It would be horrid of him to swoop in now, with Lavi's grandfather being so ill. He didn't know anything about Lavi now. Four years was a long time. He expected that Lavi had forgotten all about Allen, or resented him. For all he knew, Lavi could be in a relationship now.

Allen stopped, glancing at his startled reflection and hating the jealous look in his own eyes.

It only made sense, after all! Lavi was the closest thing to perfect, and it wasn't like Allen had any right to intervene in Lavi's life any more than he had. His time spent as a substitute teacher, albeit he was an illegal one, was over, as was his chance with Lavi Bookman.

He had to accept that, no matter how hard it was.

Still, he couldn't avoid the redhead forever, could he? If Dr. Tiedoll, who had taken it upon himself to take Allen under his wing, was Mr. Bookman's doctor, then surely Allen would be running into him sooner or later. The thought made Allen's stomach twist nervously.

He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to see him again or not.

"Aren't you supposed to be working, Walker?" a sly voice snaked at Allen's ear, causing him to jump so severely he flung soap all over the place.

"O-oh!" Allen held his chest. "I-I'm so sorry, sir! You startled me!"

The CEO of the hospital, and Allen's boss, wiped some foam off of his un-amused face. Allen was honestly a bit terrified of his boss, Dr. Malcolm Lvellie. Even his appearance seemed to radiate intimidation. He had a serious, stern face with a short, taut mustache that symbolized his ever-shortening temper. He had cold distrusting eyes that made Allen feel as though he was being x-rayed.

As luck would have it, Lvellie apparently knew Cross Marian, and the two hated one another. Therefore, as Cross's protégé, that hatred flowed to Allen as well. It wasn't really fair and Allen hadn't the foggiest clue to why Lvellie so detested Cross in the first place, but it made working there an absolute nightmare.

"What are you doing in here? Don't you have patients to attend to?"

"Uh…" Allen faltered under Lvellie's dark gaze. "Yes, sir. You see, a little girl was very sick and I wanted to be entirely sure that I was clean before going off and working with other patients—"

"I don't pay you use my bathroom as a Laundromat!" Lvellie growled.

"Uh…right. Of course, sir." Allen held back his tongue. "I should get back to work now…"

Lvellie stepped in front of Allen, blocking his way out and holding the door closed. Allen gulped and watched his boss uneasily. "I've been talking to Dr. Tiedoll. He says you've been neglecting one of your patients, that you're avoiding it altogether. Care to explain?"

Allen shuffled nervously. "I…um..."

"Well, perhaps a few days of leave will help you clear whatever illogical inconveniences are in your head."

A few days of leave? Was that the nice way of saying he was suspended? Allen couldn't even find words to speak.

Lvellie didn't look fazed by Allen's lack of response. "Honestly, how hard is it to find _good_ doctors these days? Do they let anyone into med school?" Allen held back more than a few sour words for his boss. Lvellie continued in a louder voice, "Come back on Monday. That should give you enough time to think over your responsibilities."

Allen didn't answer. He just watched the floor in surprise. Lvellie turned to walk out the bathroom door when Allen found his voice. "Sir! A moment!"

Lvellie stopped and glared at him. "What is it?"

Allen bit back a laugh. "Er…there's still some soap on your face."

Lvellie went red with anger and stomped out of the bathroom, rubbing his face vigorously while Allen had to hold back his triumphant grin. The smile quickly turned into a scowl as he realized he was now forced to go the weekend without coming in. He sighed. He supposed it wouldn't be _too_ horrible. He'd just take it as a small vacation.

But, even though that thought would have brightened up his day just two weeks ago, now he couldn't help but feel guilty. He wouldn't be able to check on Mr. Bookman…and Lavi.

He took a deep breath. His heart was screaming at him to just walk into Mr. Bookman's room, just to show his face, but he was startled to find that he was unable to move his legs. They'd gone numb.

After a few minutes of the heart battling the brain, Allen was striding down the pale brightly lit halls determinedly. He passed several nurses and doctors on the way. If any of them tried to talk to him, he didn't hear them over the sound of his heart in his ears.

When he finally reached Mr. Bookman's room the door was closed. Allen glanced around, making sure that Lvellie was nowhere around him. The coast was clear and he ripped open the door.

Lavi was there, sitting down with his back turned to the door. He didn't turn as Allen entered the room and softly closed the door behind him. Allen leaned back against the door with his hands locked in a crushing grip so as not to grab the handle and dart back outside in shame.

"Lavi…?" His voice was light and airy, unlike himself. He swallowed down his fear and tried again. "Lavi."

No response.

Allen winced. He had expected as much. At least he wasn't throwing the heart monitor at him or anything. Yet. "Lavi…um, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now but, uh…" Still no answer. Allen raised an eyebrow. "Lavi?"

Allen stepped over to where Lavi was resting, peering over to see his face. He breathed a sigh. Lavi was sleeping.

Feeling disappointed and a bit relieved, Allen straightened up with a small smile. A bunch of messy papers were still in Lavi's hands, his laptop was sitting on his lap, and every once in a while his head was nod as he dreamt. "Such a child," Allen murmured softly. He took the papers from Lavi's still hands and the laptop and set them safely on the table. Next he grabbed Lavi's long coat and draped it over him like a blanket, taking care to ensure it wouldn't slip off. Allen's hand instinctively reached out to brush back Lavi's bangs, but he stopped himself.

He pulled away, looking back at the table, where an aged copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ was resting amidst the stacks of papers. Curiously, he lifted it up and opened to the cover. He couldn't hide the disappointment from himself when he saw it was not the copy Allen had left him for Christmas all those years ago.

Had it really been four years?

Allen had missed so much. He had missed Lavi's graduation, his entire college experience, his introduction to the real world, his first professional job, and now he had missed an opportunity to speak to him. He had wanted to be there for all of it. He wanted to be there for him right then and there, too, as much as he knew he couldn't. They wouldn't have that kind of relationship again. They couldn't. Thinking otherwise was just torture for him.

"Please be here when I get back, Lavi," Allen whispered. "I have so much to say."

...

Lavi awoke to the persistent of a steady, high-pitched beep.

Groggily, he tried to pinpoint where it was coming from and thought for a moment it must have been his phone. Then he realized.

It was coming from the heart-monitor.

Lavi's eye stared at the flat line in disbelief.

He ran for the door, ripping it wide open before shouting, "HEY! SOMEONE! WE NEED HELP IN HERE!"

A team of doctors and nurses were over in seconds. Lavi watched in shock as they worked on his grandfather. A kind-looking nurse led Lavi out of the room. "Please, wait out here. You don't need to see this," she whispered.

Lavi began to protest but as he heard the frustrated shouts of the doctors inside the room his voice failed him. He collapsed into the waiting room chair and doubled over, holding his head with wide, shaky eyes.

Minutes passed.

The minutes stretched into an hour, which slowed into two.

Three.

Four.

All Lavi knew was that his grandfather had gone back into surgery.

A doctor, or maybe there had been two, Lavi had stopped paying attention, had come to speak to him, but Lavi hadn't listened to a word that came out his mouth. He didn't move from the chair. He didn't look up.

He just waited.

As the fifth hour stretched ever nearer, Lavi took a deep breath and played the last card he had up his sleeve. He pressed his hands together and closed his eyes. With another long breath, Lavi Bookman prayed for the first time in his life.

As the clock hit midnight, Dr. Tiedoll approached the grief-stricken boy with a somber expression on his face. As Lavi finally rose from his seat with a hopeful look, the doctor frowned and shook his head.

He only ever said two words that never reached Lavi's ears. He didn't need to hear him to know what he had said.

...

The funeral was long and enduring.

Lavi barely spoke the whole time. It was mostly people from the museum that his grandfather had worked at that came. Lavi's friends from college and work came by as well. He was even surprised to see some of his high school classmates there.

Kanda, Lenalee, and Miranda were there the whole time. Krory was there with his fiancé, Eliade, who he met in college. Lavi never lost touch with his friends and he saw them regularly, and he was thankful that they were there. He really couldn't have done it without them. Lenalee ran up to Lavi and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "We all loved your grandfather."

Lavi's lips twitched upwards. "He loved you guys, too. He would always say how he was glad I had you guys looking out for me."

Kanda placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, man?" he asked.

Lavi didn't say anything about Kanda's subdued attitude. He just nodded gratefully and stared ahead. "Yeah…I'll be all right."

...

Allen Walker walked into the hospital Monday morning. He was still furious at Lvellie for making him stay out all weekend. Even if Allen just tried to walk in to visit some of his patients, or a certain redhead, Lvellie would pop up out of thin air and chase Allen until he was off the property and the rest of the staff was told not to let him in or answer any of his calls.

In short, he had been completely isolated.

But, now he was back. A couple other interns and nurses would snigger as he passed. The rumors of why Allen had been absent the last few days had reached near-impossible absurdity. Some people even came up to him and asked him if it was true that he had been stealing medicine to sell to the Black Market. Allen really hated his boss.

But, he could live with the rumors. He was used to that, after all, but what he really had a problem with was the fact that Lavi Bookman had been in that hospital for two weeks now and Allen had yet to even show his face to him.

He had decided that he had let this little game of cat and mouse he had been playing with Lavi, even though the latter had no idea he was even playing it, must end.

It had been four years, after all. They should be able to be in the same room together.

Plus, he was worried.

Lavi had all but moved into the cramped hospital room. He barely spoke to anyone and barely ate. Allen decided that he should stop acting like a love-sick stalker and just confront him. They were both adults, after all.

But, as Allen finally stirred up enough nerves to walk to Room 169, he was surprised to see that Lavi wasn't there. He felt an unwelcome lurch in his gut when he spotted the empty bed. His hand covered his mouth and prayed that that didn't mean what he thought it did. He spun around on his heels and marched for the reception desk.

"What happened to Mr. Bookman?" Allen demanded as soon as he got there.

_Oh, please let it just be that he got a different room. Or even that he checked out! Please, please, please!_

The nurse blinked and looked a little afraid at Allen's outburst before mumbling, "H-haven't you heard? Mr. Bookman suffered another severe heart-attack. He went into surgery before five hours but there was nothing they could do. He passed away."

"And the grandson?" Allen asked hurriedly.

The nurse flinched. "I-I'm not sure! But I'm pretty sure the memorial service is today."

"Today!?" Allen gasped. "What church? What time? Where at?"

After an hour of digging, begging, and bit of shouting, Allen knew exactly where the memorial was being held. He apologized in advance for his recent absence to Dr. Tiedoll before asking if he could take the rest of the day off due to a sudden emergency. Dr. Tiedoll was surprised but accepted his request, wishing him the best of luck for whatever he was doing.

Thanking him over and over again, Allen ran out of the hospital as quickly as physics would allow.

This was his last chance to see Lavi.

After this, he would disappear again.

He wouldn't let Lavi slip through his grasp this time.

Not again.

...

Lavi was the last one in the church.

He sat in the front pew, staring up at the huge stain glass window. The sunlight leaked through it, spilling a thousand splashes of color through the tall, gothic church. His dull eyes rested on the blanketed casket bathed in gold light.

His friends had all gone ahead without him and were probably waiting outside. They had respected his request to have a moment alone to say goodbye. Of course, he didn't actually say any words. The old Panda already knew. He just needed a couple of minutes to himself to breathe, to think.

Lavi never considered himself a very religious person. Some people liked to believe that people like Lavi were sinners. He never thought of it that way at all. He was just being himself, after all. Wouldn't the bigger sin be to deceive everyone and be something he wasn't?

He sighed, suddenly wishing for the smell of cigarette smoke. He never smoked once in his life and never planned to, but the Old Man used to every once in a while.

He closed his eyes and, for the second time, prayed.

_I just don't want to be alone._

Suddenly, the heavy doors opened and hasty footsteps clacked against the stone floor. Lavi didn't raise his head or look who was coming. He assumed it was Lenalee or Kanda. He took a deep breath and just said, "I'll be out in a minute, okay?"

"I'm sorry," a shy, soft voice replied. "I just wanted to pay my respects."

Lavi froze at the very sound of it. Feeling like he was suddenly falling, Lavi twisted in his seat with wide, disbelieving eyes. No. He wouldn't believe it. It was impossible. It wasn't…

"Allen!" His mouth finished for his thoughts. The name flowed effortlessly from his tongue.

Allen Walker stood in front of him. He was wearing formal clothes and had a white coat tucked under his arm. His hands were shoved in his pockets self-consciously. A nervous, apologetic smile rested on his lips. His big grey eyes were still full of that innocent, searching look. The scar that marred his gorgeous face was a saving grace to Lavi's eyes. His hair, white and pure, framed his delicate face perfectly. He looked—if possible—younger than Lavi had remembered him being and shorter as well. But it _was_ Allen. He was here. Standing right in front of him.

How was this possible?

Lavi gaped at Allen like he might disappear at any moment. Surely he had just gone so insane from the grief that his mind cracked and was now projecting a phantom of Lavi's innermost desires?

For a few moments, he could do nothing but gawk at his ex-teacher. Allen didn't seem put-off by Lavi's dumbfounded stupor. Instead, he approached the casket and said a silent prayer.

Lavi watched his every move, ogling at the angel that had fallen before him. Lavi looked back up to the large cross above him in utter amazement.

As Allen finished praying, he turned back to Lavi with that patient, soft smile. Lavi wanted to run to him right then and there and embrace him and slap him at the same time. After four years of hiding, why and how did Allen seek him out now?

"How did you…?" he started, but Allen interrupted.

"I…sort of work at the hospital that your grandfather was at. I'm doing my first-year residency there. I was too afraid to show my face to you. But when I heard…" he glanced at Lavi's grandfather's casket. "I had to come."

"Why?" The question came out a bit harsher than he had meant it to. It had several meanings all rolled into one word:

_Why did you leave?_

_Why didn't you ever call me back?_

_Why are you here?_

_Why are you back?_

Allen sighed. His face was full of guilt and sorrow. He had trouble looking up at Lavi. "I wanted to see you."

"Four years." Lavi trembled. "You couldn't have picked up a phone?"

Allen bit his lip. "It was…"

"Complicated." Lavi finished for him before sinking back into the pew. "Yeah. I get it."

Oddly, Allen smiled. It made Lavi furious. A familiar scowl fell on his face, to which Allen laughed and Lavi's sneer deepened.

"I don't mean to laugh," he said apologetically. "But I really missed seeing that."

Lavi blushed. He hated the way his heart was speeding up. He hated the fact that he still had feelings for Allen. And he hated that could admit that to himself so damn easily.

Allen came over and sat at the other end of the pew. There was a decent distance between them, but Lavi couldn't help himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Allen, who hadn't seem to have changed all that much.

"You've gotten taller," Allen remarked casually.

"And you're exactly the same."

"Is that bad?"

Lavi exhaled heavily before sneaking another glance at the attractive male beside him. "Yes. It is."

Allen smirked. "Maybe you haven't changed as much as I think you have."

"You'd be surprised."

A horribly awkward silence settled in.

How many times had Lavi envisioned his reunion with Allen? He had thought out each scenario perfectly in his head. In each one, they were holding one another and promising to never let go by now! But whenever Lavi looked at Allen all he felt was anger.

And maybe a _sprinkle_ of relief.

There were so many questions that Lavi had spent years forming in his head, but they were all tangled in his mouth now. He couldn't seem to ask one damn question.

Then, Allen broke the silence. "I like your scarf."

Lavi touched it protectively. "It was the only thing I had to remember you by after you ran away."

Silence.

Then Allen tried again. "How…how are you?"

Lavi snorted. "Fan-fucking-tastic. I just lost my last living family and the _last_ person I want to see just showed up at his funeral. Yupp. I'm doing just fine."

Allen flinched. "Lavi…look, I…"

Lavi suddenly stood up. He was too emotional to be dealing with this, damn it! Allen cut off and looked at him timidly. "I have to go," he snapped. "My friends are waiting for me."

"Yes…of course." Allen sounded disappointed as Lavi began to walk away. He could feel Allen's hurt eyes lingering on him.

Cursing every word that his grandfather had spent a lifetime trying to squander from his vocabulary, Lavi turned on his heels and spoke hurriedly. "W-would you want t-tomaybegogetcoffeesometime? T-to talk."

Allen looked surprised but his smile was brighter than the light pouring into the cathedral. "I'd love that."

...

As Lavi walked hurriedly down the stone steps, his friends ran up to him.

"Was that Mr. Walker that ran in?" Krory gasped. Lavi nodded aimlessly.

"Are you okay?" Lenalee asked.

"Did you punch him in the face?" Kanda clenched his teeth, slamming a threatening fist into his hand.

Lavi rubbed the back of his neck. "I sort of…asked him out?"

Kanda slapped him on the head roughly. "DUMBASS!"

"Why?" Miranda groaned. "After all that pain you went through to get over him, why'd you ask him out again?"

"I don't know. It just…slipped out. And that _hurt_, Yu!"

"Don't make me hit you twice!" Kanda seethed.

Lenalee sighed. "Let's just go. Okay, Lavi?"

Lavi was distracted and confused all throughout the burial. He was continually checking over his shoulder and looking at each face closely, just in case Allen would suddenly show up. He hated how disappointed he would get when each person _wasn't _Allen. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see him again or not.

Well, of course, he _did_ but he also didn't and it was all just so confusing. He was too grieved to be dealing with this, dammit! Why did Allen have to show up _now_ of all times?!

Lavi and his friends were the last ones to leave. Lavi reluctantly pulled away from the site, mentally promising his grandfather that he would come back soon, very soon.

They ended up going to a bar a few blocks away. They didn't drink much. They mostly talked and the others laughed while Lavi put on a fake smile and forced out an artificial laugh that almost pained him to do.

At about ten, Krory and Eliade announced they were going home. Kanda stood up as well and said something about working early the next morning. They all said a fond goodbye to Lavi and left. Lenalee was the only one behind. She smiled at him before sipping on her drink. "So…Mr. Walker and you, huh?"

Lavi groaned, covering his face embarrassedly. "Let's not talk about that!"

"I'm curious! How did you two go from hating each other to sneaking kisses back then anyways?"

"It wasn't like that!" Lavi blushed. "It was…well, I'm not really sure. But he was the one that inspired me to become a writer. He helped me believe in myself. I was never passionate about anything until he came along and taught me what it really meant to care for someone. Not just love and all that physical stuff but how to actually _be_ there for someone and that it was okay to lean on someone's shoulder from time to time. There weren't any secrets between us, you know? I felt so safe around him like I didn't have to hide from anything because he had gone through more or less of the same things I had. It was like we were—oh man." Lavi's head dropped to the table. "I'm wasted."

Lenalee giggled. "I think you're just confused. And it sounds to me like Allen and you had something real."

"I'd like to believe that. But the way things ended…it made me wonder if any of it had been real in the first place."

"Well he's here now. What does that tell you?"

Lavi gazed at his wise friend. Lenalee gave him a soft smile. "I really should be going, too. Do you want a lift home?"

Lavi shook his head. "No thanks. I'm gonna finish this drink and head home."

Lenalee nodded understandingly. "Kay. Just don't stay out too long, you hear?"

Lavi rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Mom_."

She pulled on her coat and placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek. "If you need anything call me, okay?"

Lavi smiled. "Thanks, Lena."

"Don't even mention it! You're practically my brother, Lavi. I just want to see you happy."

Lavi ended up drinking four more rounds before the barkeep cut him off. "Whatever your problem is, kid, drinking won't fix it," he said. He noted Lavi's condition. "Is there someone I can call for you? You're falling down drunk."

"'M _fine_!" Lavi slurred, waving the bartender down before nearly falling off of his stool. He didn't like being this drunk, but if it made him forget about Allen and his grandfather for a bit then _cheers_! If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend like he was seventeen again—young and oblivious to such heartache. He didn't want any of his friends to see him like this. They would never forgive him. So, Lavi assured the bartender that his apartment was just down the street and, after saying the entire alphabet backwards (which was difficult for Lavi to do sober), he let Lavi go.

He stumbled in the streets. The cars passed him in a bright blur. His head was spinning but there was a smile on his face. It was a hollow smile—one induced by the alcohol swimming through his head in a sad effort to drown the past couple of days from his consciousness.

He thought he bumped into someone but it turned out to be a streetlight. Laughing loudly at himself, he continued to wander around. He had lived in this city his whole life and found himself completely lost. He laughed even harder.

"Aw, crap!" he gasped suddenly, covering his mouth as a wave of nausea hit him.

He turned around and was violently sick. "Wh-what the hell?!" an angry voice growled at him. A bright white light flashed in his eyes. "You just puked on the wrong pair of shoes, buddy!"

Lavi looked up, shielding his eyes with his hand. He made out the figure of a fuming man in a uniform holding a flash light. There was a gleaming golden badge on his chest. Lavi cursed his bad luck—or moreover his bad decisions. It _would_ be a police officer. Suddenly, the cop's eyes went wide. "Holy shit…" he whispered. "Bookman? _Lavi_ Bookman?!"

Lavi looked into the bespectacled eyes of the cop and noticed a familiar mole underneath his left eye. "Holy shit." Lavi groaned before becoming sick once again on Officer Tyki Mikk's shoes.

* * *

**TYKI'S BACK! And I swear this story has a happy ending, it really does! My all-time favorite part was when Lavi and Allen FINALLY reunited in the church :3 even if for a really depressing reason TT~TT Things can only go up at this point, though, right? Right! Thanks so much for being awesomely patient and everything! I'm so glad people are still caring for this story :3**


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